Holding placards saying “refugees welcome” and “reject racism, try therapy”, people took to the streets in towns and cities nine days after the country was shaken by the fatal stabbing of three girls in Merseyside and the rioting that followed.
Imagine the sort of mindset needed to produce a reaction like that to a horiffic crime?
Lawyers’ offices shut down, high street shops were boarded up, GP practices closed early and MPs were told to consider working from home as 41 of the 43 local police force areas in England and Wales braced for potential disorder. About 6,000 riot-trained officers were drafted in to tackle the expected rallies and an estimated 30 counter-protests after immigration law firms and refugee centres were listed as potential targets in a far-right chat group on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
And they were all played for absolute suckers!
But by 9pm few far-right protesters were seen at the alleged targeted sites, although counter-protesters remained on the streets. Despite the fears of violence and disorder scarring Britain on a scale not seen since the 2011 riots, in the end counter protestors outnumbered those supporting the far right led protests. In some places counter protestors found that no one else on the other side had turned up.
My Facebook was full of reports rumours that 'EDL youths' with baseball bats on mopeds were roaming the area. That turned out to be a load of bollocks as well, so what next for the immigrant supporters?
Bottles were thrown at police and objects dragged into the road after around 50 people gathered in the south London borough - but officers said it was 'pure anti-social behaviour' not linked to the protests.
Smaller groups of anti-racism protesters were gathered in backstreets in Sheffield, away from the main counter-demo.
One woman, whose face was obscured, said: ‘We’ve done a good job of scaring them away.’Ah. Declare victory anyway. What losers. And speaking of losers...
Earlier Nick Lowles, a long standing expert on the British far right, and who now leads Hope Not Hate, told the Guardian that he was sceptical there would be widespread trouble on Wednesday evening.
The expectation was triggered by a list of targets found on social media. Lowles, speaking before this evening said: “I think it’s a hoax, designed to spread fear and panic.”Well, if anyone should know about 'hoaxes designed to spread panic' it's you, Nick.
