Thousands rally against racism in UK amid fears of far-right violence

British police are preparing for another night of violence amid concerns that anti-immigration groups planned to target dozens of locations throughout the country following a week of rioting and disorder driven by misinformation over a stabbing attack against young girls. The disturbances began after misinformation spread about the stabbing rampage that killed three girls in the seaside community of Southport, with social media users falsely identifying the suspect as an immigrant and a Muslim. A couple hundred supporters of immigrants who showed up outside a law office on a residential street in the London neighbourhood of North Finchley found themselves largely alone with several dozen police officers. The crowd chanted “refugees welcome” and “London against racism.” Some held signs saying “Stop the far right,” “Migration is not a crime” and “Finchley against Fascism.” Outside an immigration centre in the Walthamstow area in east London, a counterprotest leader shouted: “Fascists gone” to which a crowd of hundreds responded: “Off our streets.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the previous disturbances as “far-right thuggery,” rejecting any suggestion that the riots are about the government’s immigration policies.