Police are braced for potential disorder in towns across England this weekend amid the far right’s promotion of a range of protests against asylum seekers, with anti-racism activists planning counter-protests.
Restrictions will be in place on Friday at locations including Norwich while officers will police at least 12 other towns and cities that evening.
There are particular concerns around a planned protest on Saturday at council offices in Nuneaton, where Warwickshire police have dismissed claims by a Reform UK council leader that the force held back information over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl.
While local people have been involved in demonstrations that have taken place in recent weeks at many of the locations, a disparate range of far-right groups and influencers are heavily involved in promoting the protests, including supporters of the activist known as Tommy Robinson.
The chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s operations coordination committee, chief constable BJ Harrington, said: “We urge communities to carefully consider the information they read, share and trust from online sources.
“It is essential to remain aware of the potential for motivations behind such content. We would encourage the public to access formal authorities for accurate information.
“The spread of disinformation and misinformation by individuals or groups can significantly contribute to community tensions and has real-world implications. We all have a responsibility in this respect, and relevant criminal law applies to online actions.”
Harrington said police were committed to upholding the right to lawful and peaceful protest and would work with event organisers where possible. However, he added that police were monitoring intelligence while public order units and evidence-gathering teams would respond to any incidents that involved the risk of disorder.
Georgie Laming, the director of campaigns at Hope Not Hate, which monitors racist and extremist groups, said: “It’s difficult to predict how many people will attend these protests.
“Some may not materialise at all, while others might draw crowds. These protests continue to look more like the anti-migrant protests of 2023 and less like the violent disorder and rioting of 2024.”
The latest protests come after days of clashes last month in Essex, where groups of men attacked police and vandalised police vehicles after violence erupted after a protest outside a hotel in Epping housing asylum seekers.
Anti-racism activists and trade unionists outnumbered a recent protest outside the hotel, but Epping is among the towns where the far right are promoting another protest on Friday.
Activists from the far-right Homeland party are among those centrally involved in Epping, while a rival group, Patriotic Alternative, has sought to exploit protests in the north.
There were also clashes outside a hotel in Islington, north London, as far-right activists and a Stand Up to Racism protest faced off.
Also in the city, there is expected to be another protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf against the suspected use of the hotel to accommodate asylum seekers. Women and children have taken part in what has been promoted online as a “pink protest”, but far-right activists and influencers have also been involved in activities outside the hotel and online.
In Warwickshire, chief constable Alex Franklin-Smith has responded to a claim by the county council leader, Reform UK’s George Finch, that it held back information over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl, saying officers “did not and will not cover up such criminality”. However, the case is a factor in tensions.
Norfolk police will put in place powers on Friday evening at a protest in Bowthorpe, Norwich, including an obligation for members of the public to remove face coverings when asked by officers. Another order will be in place allowing the police to direct anyone committing, or who may commit, antisocial behaviour to leave the area from 2pm on Friday to 2am on Saturday.
