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The authorities had been braced for further violence after anti-immigrant demonstrations in previous days had descended into riots.
Aug. 8, 2024, 5:57 a.m. ET
British officials on Thursday expressed relief and cautious optimism after far-right protests failed to materialize the previous night and antiracism demonstrators took to the streets instead.
The authorities had been braced for further violence after anti-immigrant protests in previous days had descended into riots, fueled by disinformation about the fatal stabbing of three young children at a dance class in Southport, northwestern England, on July 29.
But with around 6,000 officers on standby, Wednesday evening passed with little violence. Pockets of far-right protesters were easily outnumbered by antiracism counterdemonstrations in several cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and London.
That raised hopes that the law enforcement authorities had begun to regain control after riots over the previous weekend. Hundreds of people were arrested and dozens of police officers were injured in those outbreaks of violence, which saw rioters set cars on fire and target mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.
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The British minister for policing, Diana Johnson, said on Thursday that the heavy police presence and the deterrent effect of swift prosecutions for some of those arrested after previous acts of violence had helped stave off disorder overnight.
“The fact that we were able to show that the police were out in communities in large numbers,” coupled with sentencings for rioters, she told the BBC, had been “a very stark reminder to people that if they engage in criminal acts on our streets they will be held to account.”
Not everywhere was free of violence on Wednesday night, however, and a small number of arrests were made. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, objects were thrown at the police, fires were lit and officers in riot gear were deployed.
But in London, Mark Rowley, commissioner of the city’s Metropolitan Police, described Wednesday as a “very successful night.”
“The show of force from police — and frankly the show of unity from communities — together defeated the challenges we have seen,” he said.
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Efforts to combat calls on social media for violence could also have played a role. Both the government and the police had expressed concern about the use of messaging apps like Telegram by far-right groups intent on stoking disorder.
On Wednesday, Telegram said that its moderators were removing channels and posts containing calls to violence. The company also said that it was using A.I. tools and user reports “to ensure content that breaches Telegram’s terms is removed.”
Despite the respite, Tiffany Lynch, acting national chair of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, told the BBC that it was “absolutely not” possible to say that the run of violence was now at an end.
Stephen Castle is a London correspondent of The Times, writing widely about Britain, its politics and the country’s relationship with Europe. More about Stephen Castle
