Thousands of counter-protesters have rallied in towns and cities across England after a week of rioting and disorder. Gatherings in locations where anti-immigration protests had been expected - including north London, Bristol and Newcastle - were largely peaceful, as counter-protesters formed the bulk of the crowds. Police had been braced for further violence, with thousands of officers monitoring as many as 100 locations. The demonstrations followed days of riots initially sparked by misinformation online that the suspect in the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport on 29 July was a Muslim asylum seeker. Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been among places targeted over the last week, with some shops burnt out and looted . On high streets across England, shop owners boarded up windows and closed early on Wednesday in anticipation of further violence. Immigration lawyers had been told by police to work from home after lists of solicitors’ ...
Thousands of counter-protesters have rallied in towns and cities across England after a week of rioting and disorder. Gatherings in locations where anti-immigration protests had been expected - including north London, Bristol and Newcastle - were largely peaceful, as counter-protesters formed the bulk of the crowds. Police had been braced for further violence, with thousands of officers monitoring as many as 100 locations. The demonstrations followed days of riots initially sparked by misinformation online that the suspect in the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport on 29 July was a Muslim asylum seeker. Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers have been among places targeted over the last week, with some shops burnt out and looted . On high streets across England, shop owners boarded up windows and closed early on Wednesday in anticipation of further violence. Immigration lawyers had been told by police to work from home after lists of solicitors’ ...