Fears of New Riots Put U.K. on High Alert

Thousands of police officers fanned out across Britain on Wednesday amid fears that protests planned by far-right groups would descend into fresh violence after days of anti-immigrant riots shocked the country.

More than a dozen towns and cities across Britain experienced violent unrest over the past week, fueled in part by far-right agitators and an online disinformation campaign intent on creating disorder after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England. Rioters clashed with the police, set cars alight and targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.

Far-right groups have called for further protests on Wednesday night, with the BBC reporting that the police were monitoring at least 30 locations. The authorities in places like Kent, Liverpool and Rotherham — which saw earlier violence — were on alert. The police in London also warned of “events planned by hateful and divisive groups across the capital,” and anti-racism groups called for counter protests.

With tensions running high, some 6,000 specialist public-order police officers were mobilized across the country to respond to any disorder. The authorities in several cities and towns stepped up patrols and gave the police extended powers to arrest those intent on causing unrest.

Experts who monitor the far right said it was hard to predict whether the protests planned for Wednesday night would take place — but that some damage was probably already done.

“Understandably, the wide circulation of this list has caused a great deal of distress, unease and fear,” said Joe Mulholland, the director of research for Hope Not Hate, an advocacy group in Britain that researches extremist organizations. “Indeed, this list has been compiled precisely to spread these emotions within Muslim and immigrant communities.”

A snap poll published on Wednesday by YouGov found that after the week of disorder, nearly half of Britons see right-wing extremists as a “big threat,” an increase of 15 percentage points in just six months.

But people who said they had voted for Reform UK, the populist anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, in last month’s election were less likely than others to see right-wing extremists as a major threat: Just 18 percent said they did.

While a vast majority of people polled opposed the riots, 21 percent of Reform UK voters expressed support.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned late on Tuesday that anyone involved in the violence would face “the full force of the law,” noting that more than 400 people had already been arrested and around 100 charged.

“That should send a very powerful message,” he said, “to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week, and that nobody, nobody, should be involving themselves in this disorder.”