As thousands turn out against the far right, were the planned riots actually a red herring?

It’s a good morning when you wake up to #FarRightFail trending high across the social media-sphere. Because, as it turned out, aside from a few flag-shagging far-right chumps, it was tumbleweed from the fascists. Instead, anti-fascists came together all over the country to stand outside the asylum support centres the race riot cranks purportedly planned to attack. When it came down to it, community solidarity won out above the hate.

Antifascists stand strong against the race riots

In Hackney, hundreds of people from the community gathered outside the Old Fire Station:

500 in Hackney, east London, now to repulse the far right and to stand with Muslims, refugees, migrants, all the oppressed and the working class. #StandUptoRacism @AntiRacismDay pic.twitter.com/8nqZmwrr53

— Socialist Worker (@socialistworker) August 7, 2024

Brentford antifascists protesters chanted together against bigotry in huge crowds:

‘There are many, many more of us than you’ ❤️ ⁦@AntiRacismDay⁩ ⁦@hopenothate⁩ ⁦@SBSisters⁩ #Brentford #FarageRiots #LoveIsLouder pic.twitter.com/xrM0K3ZQQh

— Deborah Finding (@deborahfinding) August 7, 2024

There were similar scenes across all the targeted sites around the country. Harrow’s antifascist turnout:

Huge turnout in Harrow to stop any possibility of the fascists passing or attacking Muslims, refugees or lawyers who represent them. Lots of Kuffiyehs and Palestine flags. Harrow is anti-fascist and it’s anti-Zionist.#StopTheFascists #NoToIslamophobia #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/S65j6oLSbO

— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) August 7, 2024

Sheffield:

Huge turnout in Harrow to stop any possibility of the fascists passing or attacking Muslims, refugees or lawyers who represent them. Lots of Kuffiyehs and Palestine flags. Harrow is anti-fascist and it’s anti-Zionist.#StopTheFascists #NoToIslamophobia #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/S65j6oLSbO

— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) August 7, 2024

Hastings:

Looking big in #Hastings – saying it loud and clear…

“Refugees are welcome here!”#StandUptoRacism pic.twitter.com/feVmR4HcCO

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 7, 2024

Southampton:

Hundreds standing against racism in counter-demo in Southampton. Tiny number of anti-immigration protestors ✊ pic.twitter.com/PV9UcsZZwp

— Ben Craig (@BenHCraig) August 7, 2024

Derby:

100 now in Derby.
No real sign of far right thugs.
Like Leicester, anti fascists have occupied where the extreme right said they’d be, by The Ram.
Great work at v short notice by @AntiRacismDay
This is what we must do in every area.@Searchlight_mag @LouiseRawAuthor pic.twitter.com/l3t6UyaAdC

— UAF (@uaf) August 4, 2024

North Finchley:

100 now in Derby.
No real sign of far right thugs.
Like Leicester, anti fascists have occupied where the extreme right said they’d be, by The Ram.
Great work at v short notice by @AntiRacismDay
This is what we must do in every area.@Searchlight_mag @LouiseRawAuthor pic.twitter.com/l3t6UyaAdC

— UAF (@uaf) August 4, 2024

Southend-on-Sea:

Anti fascist rally, Southend on Sea, England. pic.twitter.com/EwG1oRK7P9

— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) August 7, 2024

Liverpool:

Well over a thousand antifascists on the streets of #Liverpool @LiverpoolSutr #StandUptoRacism pic.twitter.com/wKxTQSTFpu

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 7, 2024

Northampton:

Well over a thousand antifascists on the streets of #Liverpool @LiverpoolSutr #StandUptoRacism pic.twitter.com/wKxTQSTFpu

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 7, 2024

Cheadle:

Hundreds protest in Cheadle #StandUptoRacism @AntiRacismDay @uaf pic.twitter.com/rjXhx0155W

— Manchester Stand Up To Racism (@Manchester_SUTR) August 7, 2024

Aldershot:

#Aldershot antifascists assemble!@SLSUTR #StandUptoRacism pic.twitter.com/cNxpOVzEAk

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 7, 2024

In Walthamstow, thousands came out to stand up to fascist and racist violence:

A bird’s-eye view of the huge anti-racist mobilisation happening in Walthamstow right now.

Via Novara Media’s @CharlottEngland. pic.twitter.com/iVtB15aopx

— Novara Media (@novaramedia) August 7, 2024

Similarly, Brighton drew enormous crowds of antifascist demonstrators:

Sheer size of the Brighton crowd ✊✊✊

Shout-out the very well-balanced person on a bus stop who took my phone pic.twitter.com/tL4Lbux8Og

— Steve Jackson (@SteveJack) August 7, 2024

There were hundreds more in Oxford:

NEW: Probably around 500 anti racism campaigners have gathered at Asylum Welcome in Oxford. pic.twitter.com/JuIaTj7V6w

— Chris McHugh (@ChrisMcHugh31) August 7, 2024

And Birmingham:

Roughly 200 anti-racism protestors peacefully demonstrating in Birmingham this evening pic.twitter.com/0A1IFnm2MN

— Tomos Morgan (@tomosmorgannews) August 7, 2024

Far-right flop

Largely, the far-right were nowhere to be seen. Spotted, two ‘patriots’ sporting a flag in Southampton:

A whole crowd vs 2 dickheads in a flag 😂 Southampton you really are dear to my heart https://t.co/U5FMttLGsa

— Molly McDade (@AuthorOfNebulae) August 7, 2024

Three more Farage and Robinson fanboys in Finchley finding out their white supremacist ideologues had hung them out to dry:

The three far right mugs who have turned up in Finchley arguing what to do next while 2000 antifascists are opposing them 😂#StandUptoRacism pic.twitter.com/GZ1p2KIai4

— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) August 7, 2024

Fancy a game of where’s the right-wing wallies?

Update of the protests in Brighton this evening.

Five or six far right protesters surrounded by police (halfway up the photo on the RHS), surrounded by an entire street of anti-fascist protestors.

Oh, & there even was a band!

Times like this I’m very proud to live in Brighton. pic.twitter.com/WOCRvBW2oK

— abigaildombey.bsky.social (@AbigailDombey) August 7, 2024

Hint, peek behind a barricade of cops:

These four seem fairly crestfallen if you ask me. Requiring police protection must be very humiliating. #FarageRiots #StopTheThugs #Brighton pic.twitter.com/JrAAx66QOS

— Noel (@eng_cam_noel) August 7, 2024

While for the most part, the far-right showing was barely a handful of men with low melanin and likely even less brain cells between them, there was a small turnout in Aldershot:

Aldershot , England.
pic.twitter.com/nDDaTsqvJk

— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore) August 7, 2024

There, white men and white Karens – mostly youth – milled about. Spearheading it was current UKIP interim leader Nick Tenconi:

meanwhile in aldershot, ukip leader nick tenconi has groomed a small group of children into staging some kind of weird performative art?

can’t really tell what this is supposed to be, to be honest, rather embarrassing!pic.twitter.com/c3ZkiHv2Hr

— thelefttake (@thelefttake) August 7, 2024

As some people on X pointed out, he’s also the chief operations officer at right-wing think tank Turning Point UK:

This bloke turned up at a far-right rally in Aldershot today with about 6 teenagers and 3 adults.
He’s a former Tory Party member and parliamentary candidate and now the interim leader of UKIP and Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point UK.
Look him up, what a twat. pic.twitter.com/lR4iOi8a2W

— The Rev. Anton Mittens 🌹👮🎓 (@MittensOff) August 7, 2024

However, their numbers paled in comparison to the thousands out standing up against their vile bigotry country-wide.

The fight isn’t over

Now, far-right goons across X are clamouring Wednesday’s planned race riots were ‘fake news’ all along. Because the mugs have never been duped and incited by fake news before. We’re old enough to remember the racist gammon hate brigade rampaging in Southport.

Many across Musk’s hell-site bandied about conspiracies like they were the lofty creeds of Elon’s long-lost deleted Tweets:

So far I’m seeing that the far right have faked the protests so they can strike another night. That Tommy has faked the protests to show far left protestors as the aggressors. And that Kier Starmer has faked the protests to make the far right look defeated. Have I got that right?

— Kris Wall (@KrisWall92) August 7, 2024

Of course, it was all false information from the left-wing plants in the media. This one yours lads?

Seems “the millions” didn’t get the memo#FarRightFail pic.twitter.com/ZWCYnZPAIn

— Nina Reizi  (@ninarei) August 7, 2024

Notably, Fox wasn’t out with the ‘millions’ of frothing fascist gammons. Because, when the chickens look like they’re coming home to roost, it’s time to do a Yaxley-Lennon and split:

Laurence Fox fled to Ireland and his Tweets have taken a very different tone.

It seems like *almost Batman* is afraid of going to jail. pic.twitter.com/7HKDMS4Bp1

— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) August 7, 2024

However, there is a broader, more important issue here. The far-right’s ‘planned’ attacks on asylum support centres were a red herring. Even so, perhaps the point was always in the threat itself. Because while the far-right didn’t carry out these pogroms, for the last week they have been attacking Black, brown, Muslim, and migrant communities. The threat might not have been real – this time – but the fear it generated for these communities, is.

What’s more, the impact was real:

This is Cowley Road, which should be the bustling heart of East Oxford. Instead, it’s extremely quiet with businesses either closed or closing early. This street is home to one of the largest concentrations of independent businesses in the UK. Horribly sad to see. pic.twitter.com/4P9dtxumjO

— Cllr Alex Powell (@APowellLaw) August 7, 2024

I have enforced on these streets many times. It is usually buzzing. The ethnic mix of Aldershot is very high – atypical for Hampshire. My abiding impression was always that those with ethnic heritage were super polite and respectful towards me. I am sad to see this boarding up😥 https://t.co/mn5xHGwC6s

— Chris/shortforChristian😁❤ (@ChristianJW1968) August 7, 2024

Some capitalist chain stores shutting up shop early is little issue. Independent businesses – especially multicultural working class-owned – being forced to close is. But that vital immigration services had to close their doors, is an appalling indictment of the far-right’s long shadow over the past week.

When Black and brown hospital staff have to watch their back, and GP surgeries close early for their safety, this racist shithole Island is not OK.

Last night showed that across the UK, anti-fascists filled with love and pride for their diverse communities are many, and the neo-Nazi racist scum are few. But so long as racist, Islamophobic domestic terrorists – because that’s what they are – feel emboldened to threaten and attack with impunity, the fight against the far-right is far from won:

It’s been a massive #FarRightFail. I hope it signals the end of wide-scale racist riots BUT it doesn’t mean the thugs are defeated. Some communities are more terrified than ever, yobs are more emboldened than ever, dis-influencers & Reform MPs have big platforms. So stay united!

— Sangita Myska (@SangitaMyska) August 7, 2024

And without dismantling the white supremacist rot at the heart of the political and media establishment – the institutional racism – Black and brown Britons and asylum seekers won’t be safe – and that’s not OK.

Feature image via Youtube/Bloomberg/Novara/the Canary