Demonstrators took to the streets of cities across England on Wednesday night to protest against the far-right and the violence perpetrated in recent days.
Most of the demonstrators were counter-protesters, although many far-right protests had also been planned targeting England's Muslim communities but also institutions linked to the asylum system, as seen by the extremist rioting over the weekend.
On Wednesday night, the far-right mostly stayed at home while all counter-demonstrations were relatively peaceful, according to British media outlets.
Sky News reported that thousands of people attended anti-racism meetings in Bristol and in London’s Walthamstow neighbourhood, which saw a huge turnout, as well as in Brentford. Public demonstrations were also reported in Birmingham and Rotherham.
Last week, far-right rioters targeted a hotel in Rotherham where asylum seekers were residing.
In Liverpool, hundreds of individuals formed a human chain around a church, a prime target for rioters as it serves as an advice centre for immigrants, The Guardian reported.
In Brighton, police encircled a small group of far-right protestors for their safety.
According to the BBC, police in Southampton formed a buffer between counter-protestors and a rival set of demonstrators.
In Newcastle, demonstrators chanted slogans such as “refugees welcome” and “Nazi scum off our streets.” There was no sign of far-right protestors in the town.
The British authorities deployed 6,000 police officers to keep the peace on Wednesday after social media predicted widespread unrest due to over 100 planned far-right demonstrations.
