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Following the radical far-right riots across the UK, which have targeted immigrant communities and led to a breakout in mass violence, anti-racist protests have united people to combat the eruption of islamophobia and racism.
The 7th of August saw large crowds of anti-racist protesters gathered across the UK to show solidarity for the targeted Muslim and pro-immigrant communities. Its efforts were to combat seemingly Islamophobic and anti-immigrant violence from the far-right.
Leaked group chats revealed that far-right organisations were planning to storm diverse areas in London, like Walthamstow. This created mass uproar amongst the local population who, encouragingly, were willing to tackle the violence on the frontlines.
Uniting more than 1,000 people who took part, this was the case all across London with anti-racist protests running in the north, north-west, and east. The Metropolitan police, meanwhile, had prepared for mass violence to descend on the capital and deployed 1,300 officers on Wednesday.
In an uplifting turn of events, however, the anti-racist protest acted as a deterrent – diminishing far-right groups’ intentions of violent riots in Walthamstow. Similar civil intervention continues to play out in places such as Harrow and North Finchley.
With anti-racist protests breaking out UK-wide, there is a sense of unity and hope amongst the pro-immigrant community. The likes of Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle, and Liverpool saw uplifting scenes in comparison to Southport’s unsavoury demonstrations the week prior. This is serving to create a positive morale for targeted communities.
However, Politicians like Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, have highlighted the bitter taste some of the public seem to have with the media’s portrayal of past incidents. A recent Instagram post insinuates that underlining efforts to combat violent thuggery on the 7th of August is not enough to turn the tables of past ‘complicity’ from the media.
Although the anti-racist protests have created hope, the far-right have capitalised on momentum sustained by social media, outnumbering pro-immigrant and anti-racist activism in terms of engagement.
Data shows that post with the hashtags #enoughisenough, #farrightthugsunite, or #TwoTier have peaked in popularity over the weekend. Suffice to say, the flames of civil conflict are yet to be fully extinguished.
This leaves the UK to wonder, have the anti-racist protests evoked enough support to combat the far-right riots? We’ll see how the things play out in the coming weeks.
