THOUSANDS of anti-fascists are set to mobilise across Britain as the country braces for a weekend of far-right activity.
Rallies supported by the far right are expected across 25 towns and cities after fascists seized on the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport to whip up hatred.
More than 100 arrests were made this week during unrest in London, Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot, in actions that have targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers.
The wave of protests came after fascist thugs hijacked the vigil of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, who were fatally stabbed in Southport on Monday.
Hundreds rioted in the town, fuelled by a tsunami of lies circulated on far-right social media accounts, claiming that the attacker was Muslim and an undocumented migrant.
Members of groups such as Patriotic Alternative published calls to mobilise on Telegram.
English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who recently mobilised over 15,000 people in London, was among those peddling misinformation, while Reform leader Nigel Farage fed into the conspiracy, asking whether “truth is being withheld from us.”
A judge lifted the anonymity ban on the 17-year-old suspect due to “idiotic rioting” and identified him as Axel Rudakubana – born to Christian Rwandan parents in Cardiff.
Further demonstrations have been organised under slogans such as “Enough is Enough” and “Save Our Children.”
In a post online, Hope Not Hate underlined that this wave of demonstrations highlights the “post-organisational” nature of the modern far right, with many protests planned by locals plugged into decentralised far-right networks online.
But they are set to face fierce resistance, with counter-demonstrations by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) organised in Liverpool, Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday, then Rotherham and Weymouth on Sunday.
SUTR co-convener Weyman Bennett said: “Racists around Britain have been emboldened by the racism of Reform and Farage in Parliament and Robinson’s 15,000 strong demo in London.
“Both must be held accountable as they whip up Islamophobia and throw fuel on the fire.
“Anti-racists are now committed to breaking racists’ confidence again and confronting them where they attempt to spread hatred and attack Muslims.”
The Muslim Council of Britain hosted a security briefing for mosques discussing strengthened protection such as paid security staff.
General secretary Zara Mohammed said there was “palpable fear” and that mosques had received threats on the phone about “targeted attacks.”
Instead of addressing the causes of the racist thuggery over the week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer seized the opportunity to hand the police greater powers.
He launched the “national violent disorder programme” to clamp down on violent groups by allowing forces to share intelligence, and implement the wider deployment of facial recognition technology.
Silkie Carlo, Big Brother Watch director, said the move “threatens rather than protects democracy” and that AI surveillance “has no explicit legal basis in the UK.”
Habib Kadiri, director of Stop Watch, highlighted that the technology is “dangerously inaccurate” at finding suspects, to the point that its use is restricted across Europe.
Mr Starmer also encouraged greater use of criminal behaviour orders to restrict the movement of some people.
Mr Kadiri added: “It is all very well to claim a focus on preventing the violent disorder of far-right thugs today, but left to the police’s discretion, we run the risk of enabling the overuse of a power on already overpoliced and racialised minorities tomorrow.”
Women’s Aid has written to the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, demanding that the Southport stabbing be viewed not in isolation but as part of a wider epidemic of violence against women and girls.
The organisation added that the racist protests outside Southport Mosque, and plans for more far-right actions “is terrifying for us as women, but also the women and children we provide support to.”
Women’s Aid chief executive Farah Nazeer said: “The misogyny and hatred that allows for male-violence to exist must be dismantled, so that women and girls can live safely away from fear.”
