Last night (August 7), the city waited on edge after rumours circulated of mass far-right rallies across London, as well as across England and Northern Ireland. Shops boarded up their fronts and thousands of police were deployed after the threat of violence – with locations in Finchley, Harrow, Walthamstow, and Hounslow said to be named as targeted areas in London.
Rather than the images and footage of violence that had been feared, we saw something different. The overriding shots in these locations – and indeed, around other parts of the city and the rest of the UK – showed unity against racism and anti-immigration rhetoric, with thousands of counter-protestors pouring out onto the streets.
Credit: @ukfactcheckpolitics via @cht.england on Instagram
In the post above, you’ll see the birds-eye view of the thousands of people showing up in Walthamstow alone; with similar scenes peacefully telling the same story in Harrow, Hounslow, and Finchley. Footage online also shows huge crowds around the country, from Brighton to Liverpool, displaying the same stance in counter-protest.
London Mayor Sadiq Kahn has thanked Londoners for coming together in the face of the fears that the city faced yesterday.
While last night’s counter-protests may have emitted an overwhelming scene of positivity in the face of the far-right’s threat, there are still fears of more unrest around the country. Far-right demonstrators have been taking to the streets across the country in the wake of false claims that the attacker responsible for the tragic incident in Southport was a Syrian refugee who arrived in the country on a “small boat”.
If you are out in the city, it is advised that you continue to be aware of this, and keep up to date online with anything that may be planned – just as we were warned yesterday.
If you’ve been affected by recent events, head to Mind for specialist mental health support and advice.
