Across the country, hundreds have gathered to counter the more than 100 far-right rallies planned at immigration centres, lawyers’ office and charities.
Huge numbers have shown up in Bristol following a clash over the weekend between anti-immigration protesters, counter-protesters and police.
In Liverpool, hundreds formed a human shield around a church targeted for its immigration advice centre. About 200 counter-protesters gathered in Birmingham, chanting “Fascist scum out of Brum”.
In Brighton, the few anti-immigration protesters gathered outside a law office were so outnumbered by counter-protesters that the police there surrounded the anti-immigration protesters for their protection. With the exception of a small fight that broke out earlier on Queens Road, the counter-protest had the atmosphere of a street carnival, with a samba band playing and people loudly singing.
Meanwhile, in Walthamstow in east London, crowds of anti-racist protesters amassed in the streets, holding signs reading “EDL (English Defence League) Not Welcome in Walthamstow” and “No Room for Racism”.
While there have been a few sightings of the right-wing agitators promised, overall they have been far outnumbered by the anti-racist community members.
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Hundreds of people have formed a human shield outside the Liverpool church that hosts the under-threat immigration advice centre. A police helicopter is monitoring the turnout, which has a mostly peaceful atmosphere so far.
A large group of young men, many wearing face coverings, have arrived in the last few minutes as part of the anti-racism crowd. One person holds a cardboard sign saying: “Immigrants welcome. Racists not”.
“I just think it’s a disgrace,” said Maria O’Reilly, 75, holding a homemade banner reading Nans Against Nazis outside the barricaded church. “We do not support anyone coming here and attacking vulnerable people who are here legally. They [the far right] are just ignorant people and they’re inciting hatred.”
Her friend Pat Harvey, 74, added: “Tragic as it was in Southport , they’re using that as an excuse for the violent thuggery because it’s nothing to do with the children being killed.”
Harvey, a retired trade unionist, said she felt Merseyside police had underestimated the threat from the far-right and were partly responsible for the disorder getting out of hand in Liverpool on Saturday. “It wouldn’t have been that bad if the police had been prepared and acted,” she said.
Helen Robinson-Little, 47, had come to the church armed with helmets to shield people from any missiles. She said she had been at a counter-protest in Liverpool on Saturday when a far-right demonstrator screamed in her face: “You and your children deserve to be raped” and called her a “Muslim lover”.
Asked how the city will come together after the unrest, Robinson-Little was at a loss: “I don’t know. I don’t know. We will stand together.”
About 200 counter-protesters have gathered outside a refugee and migrant centre in Birmingham that was identified as a location for a far-right rally on Wednesday night.
So far, it appears no far-right groups have come and the situation remains calm.
Most of the shops and businesses in the vicinity, including a Tesco Express where the counter-protesters are gathered, have boarded up their windows and doors. Many reportedly sent staff home early.
Chants of “Fascist scum out of Brum” broke out among the crowd, and many were holding placards with anti-racism messages.
Mish Rahman, trustee of Show Racism the Red Card, addressed the crowd, saying: “The scale of the far-right riots of the past few days have been shocking, but not surprising.
“Over the last 30 years, the hostile environment has provided the grounds for this to fester. We have to defend ourselves and defeat racism.
“Staying home does not mean staying safe. These fascists are not welcome on our streets, and we’re here to tell them so.”
In Brighton, a very small group of right-wing protesters are facing down hundreds of counter-protesters outside a law office designated as one of the targets on a list circulated on social media.
The counter protesters are chanting “Fascist scum, off our streets”, and “refugees are welcome here”, receiving some hoots of support from passing traffic. A person in the building across the road has just put up a sign in its window reading “Fuck off fascists”.
The police have encircled the right-wing protesters for their own protection, and are closing down the street.
Disorder-related sentencing hearings are scheduled for 26 criminals over the next two days, the Ministry of Justice said on Wednesday evening.
Offences covered by the hearings will include violent disorder, publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, and racially aggravated threatening behaviour.
Several courts and tribunals have been closed because of the threat of violence from far right activists, the MoJ said.
A spokesperson for HM Courts and Tribunal Service said some cases were adjourned at Hatton Cross.
“A small number of courts and tribunals have taken precautions to ensure all staff and users can travel home safely.
“Some hearings have been adjourned and will be relisted as soon as possible.”
In a sign of how tense and fluid the situation is, far-right activists were spotted near Hounslow East train station in west London, an area with a significant Asian population and a history going back decades of community defence against racist attacks.
A Met police source confirmed activity from suspected far right supporters and that police were looking to “intervene”.
A veteran community source said gurdwaras – Sikh places of worship – were putting security guards on to protect their premises.
In a message, one gurdwara – which pride themselves on being open to all – said it had been asked by police to shut its gates.
Shops had shut early on Hounslow’s high street, and a large police presence was reported in the area.
Hounslow was not on the original list of targets for this evening.
The atmosphere in the west London suburb was tense and that was only increasing.
The Met is running a special public order command centre, protecting the capital, which has an ethnic minority population of over 40%.
In Liverpool, a large number of police have gathered near a church that hosts an immigration advice centre targeted by far-right activists.
Many of the church’s windows have been boarded up. Nearby pubs have closed and boarded up their windows too.
While police have issued a huge dispersal order in place covering this area, giving officers powers to move on anyone involved in or likely to be involved in anti-social behaviour, Father Peter Morgan, the church’s priest, said he was “apprehensive”. He said he planned to try talk to any demonstrators to calm tensions.
“The asylum seekers are terrified, absolutely terrified,” he said. “This is only place that an awful lot of incredibly vulnerable people have got to go and we give out at least 100 meals, good quality meals, every day”.
Morgan, who has been the priest at the church for 25 years, described the call from rightwing polemicist Lawrence Fox for the country to “defend” its Christian values as as “nonsense”.
“If we were a Christian country then we’d follow the advice of Jesus and welcome the stranger or like Saint Paul said: make hospitality your special host,” Morgan said outside his boarded-up church.
“It’s actually crazy what they’re saying. And here we are having to defend our Christian church. It just doesn’t make sense. All we’re doing is actually helping to feed the hungry.”
The BBC is reporting that Telegram – a messaging app that has gained prominence in far-right circles as one of the last places that the EDL founder, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (better known as Tommy Robinson) was allowed to post – is “removing channels and posts containing calls to violence” in the UK.
“Moderators are actively monitoring the situation and are removing channels and posts containing calls to violence. Calls to violence are explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service,” the company confirmed in a statement to the BBC.
Telegram, which boasts 500m users, has become a go-to app for those wanting to spread toxic information, with many in the EDL community coalescing around conspiracist channels like those run by the Unity News Network (UNN) and the far-right group Patriotic Alternative, as well as single-purpose groups with names like “Southport Wake Up”, to organise the rallies that have devolved into violence and looting.
A 17-year-old male from Walton has been charged in connection to this weekend’s rioting in Liverpool, Merseyside police said.
While authorities cannot name the youth for legal reasons, he has been charged with violent disorder and burglary in the city centre on Saturday.
He has been remanded into custody and will appear at Merseyside Youth Court at 9.45am Thursday.
He is the 16th person to be charged after the disorder in Southport and Liverpool.
Scotland’s most senior Muslim politician, Labour leader Anas Sarwar, has stressed the importance of parties “speaking with one voice” following a summit at the first minister’s Edinburgh residence Bute House. His comments come as the head of the Scottish Refugee Council said that people were “living in fear” although there has been no violent disorder in Scotland as of yet.
Sarwar said: “I’ve been really reassured by both the language, the actions and the tone of the UK Government, the Scottish Government, and also Police Scotland, who have been very clear that this is an open, welcoming, tolerant country and that we will not stand for violence on our streets.”
Addressing a potential event in Glasgow, promoted by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (better known as Tommy Robinson), he added: “We have had times before when the far right have tried to organise in Scotland and in my hometown of Glasgow and they’ve always been been rejected. It’s important that we do not become complacent and that we stay prepared.”
Meanwhile, head of the Scottish Refugee Council Sabir Zazai told BBC Scotland News that some people in communities his organisation works with were scared to go out.
“These people are fearful already, they have fled dreadful situations,” he said. “We don’t want them to be retraumatised.”
He added that Scotland was “fortunate” not to have seen riots but warned that “nowhere is immune to racism”.
Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, wrote to MPs suggesting they review their security in the wake of the threat of further riots – and that some might want to consider working from home.
His letter said “particularly those with prominent and easily identifiable officelocations may wish to consider their office security protocols”.
He said this can include talking to their local police force “to gain an up to date understanding of the risks and policing plans in your area; considering home working; and ensuring that any sensitive information is stored safely”.
A House of Commons spokesperson said: ‘We do not comment on individual MPs’ security arrangements or advice because we would not wish to compromise the safety of MPs, Parliamentary staff or members of the public, but these are kept under continuous review.’
With police bracing for potential violence tonight, mobilising an estimated 6,000 riot-trained officers across the country, the Home Office has issued a warning to anyone considering participating in violence:
After mobs of a few hundred people rampaged through parts of Belfast last Saturday, and again on Monday, refugees who live and own businesses in the area are fearing the worst.
“All my thoughts about the Irish and this city have changed,” said Omar al-Garady, a 35-year-old from war-torn Yemen. “I don’t feel secure. We’ve been advised to keep our children inside. I hope in my heart everything will be all right.”
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Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner visited the hotel that was attacked outside Rotherham on Wednesday, and called on people to “move away from and not get involved” in criminality on or offline.
“I know the public will be feeling anxious about reports of potential more unrest tonight but the police will be there to respond to any violence and criminality. There is no place for that on UK streets and the police will do their jobs… There is no excuse for thuggery and criminality on the streets,” she told broadcasters.
“I hope the public and anyone who sees what’s happening online that they will know online and offline criminality will be faced with courts and the law. I ask people to move away from that and not to get involved in that. That is not our British values.
“Hopefully people will see, detest, what’s happened and stay away from this violenceand thuggery that this small minority of people have engaged with.”
Asked whether she recognised that people have legitimate concerns about immigration, she said: “Coming on the streets, throwing missiles at the police, attacking police, attacking hotels like this one is not a legitimate grievance. It’s not the way we do politics in this country. Nobody should be condoning that. It’s thuggery, it’s violence, somebody could have got seriously injured. It’s no excuse for that and people should stay away from it.”
Cases being heard at an immigration tribunal were abandoned on Wednesday following concerns that far-right thugs could target the building.
Staff, lawyers and claimants at Hatton Cross Tribunal Hearing Centre, near Heathrow Airport, were ordered to leave at around lunchtime. Some hearings could not be completed.
Those inside the court building were told that there was far-right activity in the area. A Whitehall source said the decision to abandon the court was precautionary.
It is understood that other immigration tribunals have also been closed early because of fears of violence.
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for a comment and asked how many other tribunals and courts have been closed due to the current wave of disorder.
A man has pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred by using racist language on a live stream he broadcast to “millions of people” from outside a hotel which was thought to contain asylum seekers.
PA Media reports Aaron Johnson, 32, of North Reddish, pleaded guilty at Manchester magistrates court to distributing images intended to stir up racial hatred outside the hotel in Stockport on Monday.
The prosecution told the court: “Members of staff became aware of the defendant live streaming from his mobile phone onto YouTube. [He]became aggressive to members of staff” at the hotel, telling them “he would smash their face in”.
The prosecution said Johnson, who was arrested outside the hotel, had “exposed occupants of the hotel to a real danger”, adding “within the stream he repeatedly refers to migrants in a derogatory manner” and used racist language.
District Judge Jane Hamilton told Johnson: “You had no reason to attend the hotel where you were live streaming. You were taking pictures through the windows where people were trying to sleep. You also made reference to the children who were unfortunately murdered in Southport – that had nothing to do with asylum seekers or anything else.”
Johnson was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on 21 August.