By: Yihan Chen
Thousands of UK civilians took part on Wednesdays evening to protest against racism in cities and towns. Civilians came together in London, Liverpool, Bristol, and Newcastle to support refugees and immigrants. Though most of these were peaceful protests, some descended into violence with riots. This eventually led to police arrests.
Immigration riots have popped up all across England and Northern Ireland last week.
Several immigration protests took place in England and Northern Ireland over the last week following an incident that happened in Southport. Counter-protesters were expected on Wednesday, so thousands of police officers were prepared. Thousands of immigrant and refugee supporting civilians came together to where the anti-immigrant protests were and outnumbered the counter-protesters. The supporters held up signs that welcomed refugees and immigrants while others held up signs telling the anti-supporters to leave.
The UK police said there was a lot less violence and damage compared to the days before Wednesday. Mark Rowley, the head of the Met Police described Wednesday night’s police operation as “successful”. Mark Rowley stated. “We put thousands of officers on the street and I think the show of force from the police and frankly the show of unity from communities, together defeated the challenges that we’ve seen.”
Some of these protests were linked by people who had extreme opinions on immigration, race, and national identity, but not everyone was connected. Some people have been linked by misinformation spread which stated that Southport was linked with illegal immigration.
Earlier this week, Sir Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister, promised to keep communities that have been affected by riots safe while the government and law enforcement have a meeting. Sir Keir Starmer said people taking part in the anti-immigrant riots will face the law and could end up in prison.
“That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week,” Starmer said.
The UK’s government officials and law enforcement are trying their best to keep everything under control. They are making sure everyone is safe and that there won’t be riots anymore.