https://time.com/7009238/anti-racist-far-right-riots-britain/
"Britain was braced for a long night of violent rioting on Wednesday, after a
tense week of anti-migrant uprisings swept across the nation.
Around 6,000 specialist officers were deployed by U.K. Prime Minister Keir
Stamer to control further attacks on Muslim and migrant communities stirred up
by anti-immigration rhetoric and online misinformation after a fatal stabbing
of children last week. Police had identified at least 100 targets, including
immigration centers across the U.K. Local workers were sent home early, shops
were boarded up, and many scared Muslims avoided being outside.
But the riots never fully materialized.
Instead, thousands of peaceful anti-racist demonstrators blocked the streets
while chanting “refugees are welcome here,” and holding placards that said
“Stop the far-right.” Small gatherings of the far-right were observed in
Portsmouth, Southampton, and Blackpool, but they were vastly outnumbered by
Brits sending a message of acceptance to their local community, according to
local news reports and demonstrators who attended. In one of the larger
anti-racist demonstrations, in the London neighborhood of Walthamstow, aerial
footage shows as many as 8,000 people gathered in solidarity. Similar
gatherings took place in Brighton, Newcastle, Oxford, Liverpool, and
Southampton.
A number factors likely contributed to the smaller-than-anticipated turnout of
rioters, including the significant police presence and the deterrent of
fast-tracked court cases for those affiliated with the riots. Starmer, who
served as the director of public prosecutions during the 2011 London riots,
described the recent violence as “far-right thuggery” and threatened the “full
force of the law." So far, more than 480 arrests have been made in connection
to the riots, with 149 charges against perpetrators. Nick Lowles, leader of
Hope Not Hate, a U.K.-based anti-facism advocacy group, also told the
Guardian that the list of targets for Wednesday’s riots were compiled by one
individual in Liverpool and widely circulated on social media apps, giving the
perception of an overestimated threat level."
Via Frederick Wilson II.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
