STAY on the streets and keep mobilising against hate, anti-racists are urging after Saturday saw far-right rallies and anti-fascist counter-demonstrations take place across Britain.

Hostile protests were called outside hotels being used to house asylum-seekers, with anti-racists rallying in opposition.

Groups including Britain First, Patriots of Britain and “Together for the Children” were involved in pushing support for targeting the hotels from London to Newcastle, while a far-right march and rally took place in Manchester.

The face-offs took place a year after fascists exploited the murders of three girls in Southport to whip up a string of racist riots, with Chief Inspector fo Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services Sir Andy Cooke warning that there is “every possibility” such violence could recur.

Sir Andy stressed the need for technological responses to nip far-right unrest in the bud, despite community mobilisation having faced down the race riots last year.

He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Online misinformation continues to spread. Community tensions persist. The tools that amplified hatred last summer remain largely unchanged and unregulated.

“The police service must modernise its understanding of how disorder develops and spreads in the digital age.”

Confrontations on Saturday included one in London’s Islington borough, where over 800 anti-fascist counter-demonstrators outnumbered a demonstration against asylum-seekers being held at a local hotel by at least four to one.

Chants at  the counter-demo included “Where’s your Tommy gone” in reference to far-right rabble-rouser Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who styles himself Tommy Robinson, having fled the country again a few days ago.

Local trade unionist Andy Bain said organisers “look forward to building community links with the hotel’s immigrants and to countering the lies aimed at dividing people.”

But not all counter-demos were so successful. Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) co-convener Sabby Dhalu told the Morning Star: “Islington was an important victory.

“However there continue to be large far-right demonstrations in other parts of the country. There were around 600 fascists in Manchester, with 400 mobilised on the SUTR demonstration and in Cannock there were 100 fascists with 30 anti-racists opposing them.

“Meanwhile politicians continue to embolden fascists. Suella Braverman praised hundreds on an anti-refugee demonstration gathered in her constituency last week.”

Ms Dhalu called on anti-racists to hold their nerve, saying: “We urge people to join the anti-fascist demonstrations this Friday in Southampton and Saturday’s demonstrations in Liverpool and Bournemouth.

“Now is not the time to despair. If we can push back fascists in Epping, we can push them back anywhere” — a reference to the previous weekend’s major counter-mobilisation following anti-refugee protests, including violence, around an Epping hotel.

“Last Sunday’s SUTR demonstration has broken the momentum of the far right in Epping.

“We must mobilise on the streets wherever fascists seek to stir up racist violence.”

Local SUTR organisers in Newcastle, who mobilised against an anti-hotel protest dubbed “for our children, for our future,” said: “In Epping and elsewhere recently we have seen intimidation and violence aimed at refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers.

“Newcastle, like the rest of the north-east, has a well-earned reputation for unity in the face of those who seek to divide us. Whatever problems we face, racism and division are not the answer.”

MPs also joined the anti-racist demonstrations, with Leeds East’s Richard Burgon joining one in his constituency.

“The scapegoating from the far right lets the super-rich and powerful off the hook,” he said, warning that racists sought to distract working-class communities from their real enemies.

That message was hammered home too by Britain’s first black female MP, Diane Abbott, who addressed the Islington counter-demo.

“The far right do not have legitimate concerns,” she told the Morning Star, rejecting the excuses made for them by right-wing politicians.

“They use the genuine and deep problems of society to protect those responsible, and deflect anger towards asylum-seekers, Muslims, black people and others.

“Every far-right movement in history always moves on to their ultimate target, the labour movement. We must stop them.”