Thursday Briefing: Antiracism Protesters Gather in Britain

Thousands of police officers were mobilized across Britain yesterday amid fears of a new round of anti-immigrant riots after far-right groups called for further protests. But at least as of early evening, large far-right protests had not materialized, and only a handful of arrests had been made.

Instead, thousands of antiracism protesters gathered in cities across the country, including Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and London. Some of those demonstrations were close to places that had been identified as potential targets for rioters.

In Liverpool, people banged drums; chanted, “Fascists out!”; and held signs that read “Love Not Hate” as a helicopter circled overhead. The gathering was diverse, made up of locals who were surprised that their street had become the center of a demonstration, as well as union groups and others who voiced condemnation of the recent violence.

Context: Rioters clashed with the police, set cars alight and targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers over the past week. The chaos was fueled in part by an online disinformation campaign after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England.

Social media: Elon Musk has been posting incendiary comments about violent protests on X, angering Prime Minister Keir Starmer.