English police bracing for disorder ahead of far-right demos

The National

14 hours ago

Anti-racism activists have planned counter-demos and police have placed restrictions in a number of locations on Friday, including Norwich.
A demonstration set to take place outside council offices in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, on Saturday has caused particular concern, following now-dismissed claims from a Reform UK councillor that police officers kept information over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl.
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According to reports from The Guardian, the protests have had an excessive amount of promotion from far-right groups – including supporters of known agitator Tommy Robinson – despite being attended by mostly local individuals.
Chief constable BJ Harrington, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council operations coordination committee, said: 'We urge communities to carefully consider the information they read, share and trust from online sources.'
Harrington went on to encourage members of the public to 'remain aware' of the motivations behind far-right content, noting that the spread of disinformation 'significantly' contributes to tensions within communities.
The constable also asserted that police were intending to uphold the right to peaceful protest, though added that officers were monitoring intelligence and teams of evidence gatherers are set to respond to incidents that involve public disorder.
Hope Not Hate, a group that monitors far-right racist groups online, told the Guardian that it's hard to gauge how many attendees these demonstrations might draw.
'These protests continue to look more like the anti-migrant protests of 2023 and less like the violent disorder and rioting of 2024', director Georgie Laming said.
The latest protests follow days of clashes last month in Essex, where groups of men attacked police and vandalised police vehicles after violence broke out following a demonstration outside a hotel in Epping housing asylum seekers.
Anti-racism activists and trade unionists outnumbered a recent protest outside the same hotel, but Epping is one of several towns where the far right is promoting another protest on Friday.
A similar racist demonstration took place in Glasgow last month, led by Ukip leader Nick Tenconi, and was also met by counter-protests from Stand Up To Racism.
Members of the far-right Homeland Party are among those playing a central role in Epping, while a rival group, Patriotic Alternative, has been attempting to exploit protests in the north of England.
There were also clashes outside a hotel in Islington, north London, where far-right agitators and a Stand Up To Racism protest confronted each other.
Elsewhere in London, another protest is expected outside a hotel in Canary Wharf over suspicions that it is being used to house asylum seekers.
Women and children have taken part in what has been promoted online as a 'pink protest', although far-right influencers have also participated in actions both at the hotel and online.
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In Warwickshire, chief constable Alex Franklin-Smith responded to a claim by Reform's George Finch, the county council leader, that the force withheld information about the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl, stating that officers 'did not and will not cover up such criminality'.
However, the case remains a source of ongoing tension.
Norfolk police will introduce powers on Friday evening during a protest in Bowthorpe, Norwich, including requiring individuals to remove face coverings when asked by officers.
Another order will allow police to direct anyone committing, or likely to commit, antisocial behaviour to leave the area between 2pm on Friday and 2am on Saturday.