25,000 anti-racism protesters easily outnumber far-right race rioters

The i newspaper is reporting that government officials are looking into a different kind of punishment for those involved in the riots – football bans.

Hoolganishm has long overlapped with nationalist movements, so senior ministers are hoping to work with football organisers and clubs to ban agitators.

They’ll do this, according to the paper’s sources, by using The Football Offences Act which covers offences made two hours on either side of a game.

Officials hope to extend this to cover the anti-immigration violence.

Welcome to Metro.co.uk’s coverage of the UK riots.

Except what happened last night was a little different. Some 100 race riots were planned last night by far-right agitators, including dozens of attacks against immigration lawyers.

But this didn’t happen. Instead, What happened last night was up to 25,000 people marching through the streets where these rallies had been planned, leaving the would-be rioters with next to no space to unless mayhem.

Here’s what else you should know this morning:

• While it’s unclear if the mass counter-protests represent a turning point, about 6,000 riot officers were on duty last night just in case in what was the largest mobilisation since the 2011 riots.
• Met Police chief Mark Rowley called it a ‘very successful night’ after riots had been planned for Walthamstow and Finchley.
• Government and police officials are now keeping an eye on the far-right groups and influencers, with hopes their anger has finally fizzled out.
• About 400 people have been arrested so far, with 140 charged.
• But they may also face a different kind of punishment – being banned from going to football matches, according to the i newspaper.

Six people have now been arrested in Carlisle over a number of public order offences.

A 41-year-old man from Carlisle was arrested over the alleged posting online of content encouraging violence against police officers and promoting public disorder, and a 40-year-old man from Carlisle was arrested in connection with the alleged posting of hate-related content online.

Four more were arrested after a dispersal order was put in place in response to potential far-right disorder this evening,

Cumbria Police arrested a 31-year-old man in connection with the alleged posting of hate-related content online.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis and a 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.

They remain in police custody.

A 16-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of breach of a dispersal order.

Police have arrested a man following social media rumours about riots in Bordesley Green in Birmingham on Monday night.

The 49-year-old man was detained by police earlier this evening.

He was arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred and possession of a firearm and remains in custody.

The arrest follows investigations into posts on various social media platforms alleged to be inciting racial hatred with an image of a man holding a firearm.

Hundreds of anti-racist counter-protesters marched through the city’s Jewellery Quarter in response to the potential far-right activity on Monday.

Dozens of police officers in Brighton had to push through anti-racist protesters to allow a small number of far-right demonstrators to escape the crowd.

People shouted ‘shame on you’ and cheered and waved as the far-right were led into a police van and driven away from the area.

Huge crowds of anti-racist counter-protesters filled the city’s streets this evening, with chants of ‘Nazi scum off our streets’ loud and proud.

Stand Up To Racism protesters have been escorted to Aldershot train station by dozens of police officers.

Far-right demonstrators shouted at them as they followed through the town centre.

Officers blocked off the train station and there were no clashes between the groups.

Several counter-protests nationwide have started to wind down as the far-right threat of further rioting and disruption has failed to materialise.

Anti-racist protests in Sheffield, Liverpool, Brentford, and Finchley and Walthamstow in London have all started to disperse – a clear contrast to the far-right rioting and disorder running well into the night last week.

More than 40 ‘Enough is enough’ demos had been planned this evening, from Paisley to Dover, but it seems the huge crowds of anti-fascists coming out in support of Asian, Muslim and immigrant communities have kept rioters at bay.

Chants of ‘whose streets, our streets’, ‘free, free Palestine’, and ‘refugees are welcome here’ easily drowned out the few far-right agitators who turned up as planned this evening.

However it’s clear not every demo and counter-protest has remained calm this evening.

Three people have been arrested in Northampton, with eight arrests in Croydon.

The Metropolitan Police said about 50 people gathered in North End Road, Croydon, and had ‘made clear their intention is to cause disruption and fuel disorder’.

The force said people had dragged and thrown objects down the road, and thrown bottles at officers – with eight people being arrested for ‘assaulting emergency workers, possession of offensive weapons and other offences’.

A police statement added: “This is not linked to protest, this appears to be pure anti-social behaviour.”

This mob of far-right rioters really put the ‘mindless’ into ‘mindless thuggery’.

The clip posted to social media shows a huge crowd of agitators forcing a police facial van used for facial recognition to leave the area of a so-called protest in Rotherham at the weekend.

But at no point did it seem to occur to them they were doing the police’s job for them by filming each other as they went about it.

One man even appears to have his workplace printed on his back for all to see – and no doubt track down.

The protest in Finchley is now mobile, moving north after remaining near the immigration center where it was so far right protesters would appear tonight.

There were two brief skirmishes in the crowd earlier, which saw a protester with the England flag wrapped on his shoulders asked to move away from the crowd, who had repeatedly jeered at him.

Police are accompanying the march and Finchley, which is also being followed by a helicopter above, Metro’s Sarah Hooper reports.

It’s moving through residential neighborhoods and passing families on their evening walks.

Multiple territorial support vans filled with more police officers appear to be driving further up the parade route to better assist the March.

Riot police are expected to stay on standby for the ‘foreseeable future’ including through the weekend ‘and beyond’, according to a police chief.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said officers will continue to be deployed until ‘the end of the disgusting scenes that we’re seeing across the country’.

Around 6,000 officers have been mobilised to respond to incidents of violence and disorder around the country – about 30% of the total national reserve of some 18,000 who are trained to respond to public order incidents and routinely stand ready to be called in when required.

The number deployed so far includes 3,750 who are tasked with responding to incidents in their force area, with an additional 2,000 who can provide backup or be sent to their neighbouring regions or other parts of the country.

Police sources said the numbers would rise if needed.

Northamptonshire Police said three people had been arrested for public order offences in Northampton.

They remain in custody and no members of the public or police had been injured.

The force earlier said about 150 counter-protesters had gathered at the junction of Kettering Road and Clare Road.

Police are asking people to avoid the area.

Two tussles broke out during the protests in North Finchley tonight.

A protestor with an England flag wrapped around his shoulders became agitated after counter protesters jeered at him, Metro’s Sarah Hooper reports.

Metro was unable to see exactly what happened after that, but he was cornered by Police and told to calm down.

He then kicked off again and was escorted further away from the crowd while yelling, ‘My streets!’ In response to the protesters chanting ‘whose streets, our streets’.

Police have been becoming more hostile to protesters as they move into the street to get a better glimpse at what’s going on but the scene has calmed down a bit.

Police officers have rushed in to separate opposing groups in Aldershot after tempers flared.

Protesters holding ‘Stand Up To Racism’ placards had been chanting ‘refugees are welcome here’.

A group across the road had been chanting back ‘stop the boats’.

Some of them walked towards the Stand Up To Racism group, stopping traffic, and angry shouting occurred.

Dozens of police officers then rushed onto the road to stop groups from getting too close to each other.

One young man, among those who moved towards the Stand Up To Racism group, was seen being spoken to by two officers.

The crowd in Walthamstow has grown to what looks like at least 1,000 people, Metro’s Gergana Krasteva reports.

It is a sea of counter-protesters with some pictured wearing stab vests – and no sign of rioters.

Many people are holding signs reading ‘refugees welcome’, ‘no space for racism, end fascism’ and ‘strength in diversity’.

There are many participants in suits after joining the demonstration on their way from work.

Around 200 people are crowded on the corner of a busy Brentford junction in the shadow of GlaxoSmithKline HQ.

Police vans are parked outside a business centre home to an UK Immigration Help where the far-right are said to be targeting, Metro’s Danny Rigg reports at the scene.

Cars honking as people chant ‘we are black, we are white, together we are dynamite’.

One person shouts ‘fuck the EDL, free Palestine’ as they drive past.

In just under an hour, the protest has grown from roughly 20 people to nearly 200 stretching down Finchley High Road.

All shops along the stretch have shuttered their doors for fear of escalation from far right groups, Metro’s Sarah Hooper reports.

The demonstration has remained peaceful so far, with a moment of silence held for the three girls killed in Southport and the others who are still recovering from their injuries.

A heavy police presence remains in place with other police vans driving by to monitor the situation.