UK anti-racism protesters counter far-right rioters
In Birmingham, hundreds of anti-racism protesters gathered outside a migrant support center
Daily TribuneIn Birmingham, hundreds of anti-racism protesters gathered outside a migrant support center
People protest at anti-immigrant violence instigated by the far right
STF / AFP
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Thousands of anti-racism protesters took to the streets in several English cities on Wednesday to oppose days of far-right violence that have had UK police on high alert.
Nightly riots — during which mosques and migrant-related facilities have been attacked — have erupted across towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland fueled by a wave of misinformation surrounding the murder of three children on 29 July.
But on Wednesday evening, it was anti-racism and anti-fascist counter-protesters who were out in greater numbers, holding rallies in cities up and down England including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Newcastle.
“Whose streets? Our streets!” chanted protesters at a few-thousand-strong gathering in Walthamstow, northeast London, where some held banners saying “Stop the far right.”
“I live in the borough and we don’t want these people on our streets... they don’t represent us,” Sara Tresilian, 58, told Agence France-Presse, referring to the far-right.
“You have to turn out (and) give that message... I think it’s important that you show up for your friends and neighbors.”
In Sheffield, activists chanted “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here,” as riot police looked on.
In Birmingham, hundreds of anti-racism protesters gathered outside a migrant support center, while in Brighton, around 2,000 people took part in a peaceful demonstration, according to police.
