People took to social media to mock the ‘four or five’ far-right troublemakers who seemingly regretted their decision to visit Brighton (x.com/John__Phipps)
Thousands of anti-fascist protestors in Brighton stood in defiance of the far-right, Islamophobic riots that have been sweeping the UK.
Counter-protestors arrived in Queens Road yesterday (7 August) to condemn far-right groups attempting to bring the wave of violent unrest to the East Sussex seaside resort.
Footage shows hundreds of anti-fascists surrounding just five or six individuals, protected by a row of police officers. The crowd joined forces in shouting down the “Nazi thugs” and demanding they “get off our streets.“
Islamophobic and racist riots broke out across England following the stabbing of three young girls in Southport, Merseyside, last month. A section of the town was left devastated after xenophobic groups targeted a Southport mosque on 30 July.
Since then, riots have broken out in towns and cities across the UK, including in Bolton, Liverpool, Sunderland, Blackpool, Hull, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. But Brighton residents managed to quell any hint of similar scenes, with anti-fascists yelling “shame on you” and “no to racism.”
Journalist Fiona Sturges, who was in Brighton, wrote on X/Twitter that “fascists” who travelled to Brighton to engage in rioting were “met with… a samba band”.
She went on to say: “You don’t have to be an idiot to bring white supremacy to the most welcoming and inclusive city in the country, but it helps.”
People flocked to social media to make fun of the handful of presumed far-right agitators who found themselves unable to leave the area for several hours.
One person wrote: “absolutely dead at the four d**kheads in Brighton that had to stand inside a counterdemo for hours like the Nazi inbetweeners,” referencing the hit Channel 4 comedy series about four luckless teenagers.
Counter-demonstrators were also seen out in force in Middlesbrough, Sheffield and Walthamstow, in North London, holding signs that read “stamp out Islamophobia” and similar sentiments.
LGBTQ+ charity urges government to address UK riots
Several not-for-profit organisations – included queer charity Rainbow Migration – have pleaded with prime minister Keir Starmer to recall parliament to address the “ongoing violence against people of colour.”
In an open letter published on Monday (5 August), 80 groups condemned the “eruption of racism,” which they said had been “simmering under the surface” and was “the direct result of years of normalised racism and Islamophobia”, adding: “We are particularly concerned that certain sections of the media and political elite have chosen to take the ongoing violence as an opportunity to entertain debates about ‘legitimate grievances’, ‘integration’ and ‘immigration’.”
The letter goes on to say: “Muslim communities and people of colour should never have to justify their level of integration in order to claim basic protection from criminal acts, and it is incredulous that we should have those debates in the midst of this unprovoked and sustained violence.”
In a statement addressing the riots, Starmer said the criminal justice system had shown a “robust and swift response” by arresting those involved, and that the government was doing everything it could.
“That should send a very powerful message to anybody involved, either directly or online, that you are likely to be dealt with within a week and that nobody, but nobody, should be involving themselves in this disorder,” the PM added.
Almost 6,000 police officers have been mobilised to prepare for more disturbances. More than 400 arrests have been made, with at least 100 people being charged and some already jailed.