To be heartened to see anti-fascist rally going on tonight

[User135644]

Seems to be happening in many places tonight.

Seen quite a few on this Twitter feed: Stan Collymore on X: "Anti fascist rally, Liverpool, England. https://t.co/MgSI42zRBr" / X

Just hopefully the racists get the message around the country.

Full list here: https://standuptoracism.org.uk/refugees-welcome-stop-the-far-right-defend-asylum-support-centres-wednesday-7th-august/

I'm pissed off I didn't see this until it was too late to set off for today's, but there are plenty more on Saturday

YABU the Police have enough on their plate without having to maintain a presence at these demos whilst trying to stop the thugs who are rioting and looting.

Just stay home.

Exactly! I wish these ‘protests’ would stop! The police must be exhausted…

as long as they stay peaceful. Although the intention is good it is too easy for the two sides to end up provoking each other and making the situations worse.

I think really the best thing most of us can do is stay away and not risk adding fuel to the fire. Let the police deal with the dickheads.

Absolutely this, people just need to stay home, having counter protests is going to end in tears. We dont need any more large groups of people gathering to be heard about anything.

Any kind of rally is bad

Maybe, but if tonight's show of strength around the country helps deter any more cowardly rioters then that helps the police.

Some of the refugees might be right-wing and/or racists.

Indeed OP. Sheffield managed exactly that the other day.

https://nowthenmagazine.com/articles/humiliation-for-the-far-right-as-hundreds-of-sheffield-drive-racist-rally-out-of-town-fascist-neo-nazi

Maybe, but if tonight's show of strength around the country helps deter any more cowardly rioters then that helps the police.

OP you are so naive. The rioters aren't going to be deterred by nice people virtue signalling.

I'm appalled at how under resourced our poor police officers are. Help them out by staying home.

I understand the impulse.

No, seeing a large number of people ranged in opposition will not deter them. If anything, it will make them feel their action is even more necessary “to stand against the Woke” or some such nonsense.

If you had a fervently held belief, would seeing an opposing crowd put you off?

Oppositional protests only make the policing harder and incite the thugs.

Seeing their pathetic numbers and getting arrested will be more use, I think.

This update on Sky news has given me hope too:

Video shows Muslims embraced by pubgoers in Accrington
Punters appear to have come out of a pub to greet Muslims walking by in Accrington.
Footage shared on X shows a group of men hugging a woman and shaking hands with another man outside what looks to be a pub with an England flag draped from a window.
Someone in the video can be heard saying "alhamdulillah" - which means praise be to God in Arabic.

https://x.com/Taj_Ali1/status/1821239213821444262

Why are all those men marching through Accrington?

The police wont have to do much about these protesters, they aren't going to assault people, smash up Greggs or rob fake Crocs - they are simply there to show that, no, actually, the majority do NOT agree with you - go home.

Bad things happen when good people do nothing - the right may not want people to show up in large numbers to tell them to fuck off - well tough - don't come in the first place

It doesnt help police because they have to police that as well and any trouble that breaks out, on top of all the other danger they are already policing.

Why dont people think!!!

I’m in two minds. I want the police’s job to be made easier of course. But I think that if the far right rioters are faced with an overwhelming majority of people standing up and peacefully saying no- you and your violence does not represent us, this may help the police and diffuse the situation. It seems to be that’s what’s happening at the moment in a number of places I know about right now, although it is still early I know.

Bad things happen when good people do nothing

I think we should remember this^ is true.

I'd be very interested to hear what the official guidance is from the police on these rallies?

Im definitely in the camp of "stay home and leave the police to deal with the cunts causing the trouble" but surely if the police couldn't manage the anti fascist rallies, they'd say so?

No…until a counter protest shows up! Be like my dear, departed Nana…get in, get your door locked and the blinds drawn, that’s what she liked to do!

My nan and grandad would have been on the march - they did march against apartheid - my grandfather risked his life to fight fascism and he would have been at these marches - front and centre - refusing to tolerate people claiming to speak 'for him'

agh … edited to say this was supposed to quote the original message and not the response to it - I agree with tuva!*

I don’t think you can assume any of that. Large gatherings attract all kinds of people, there are definitely anti-fascists who think the way to respond is through violence. It would be lovely if was a calm peaceful response but these things rarely end that way. I do think a response is a good thing, but I don’t think large groups of people gathering during the riots is the right response.

Thousands of people risked their lives to fight fascism. I wonder what they’d say if they could see us now and see what has happened here in the last few days?

At the moment, the live feeds from BBC, Guardian and twitter seem to suggest that large, mostly peaceful counter protests are large in numbers. I hope that deters those intent on pointless violence against our communities and police.

I’m very lucky that my area seems to be devoid of obvious racist dickeheads tonight.

If, however, that changes over the next few days and they decide to make the mass presence known, so shall I.

They will not have the loudest voice in my town if I’ve anything to do with it.

I for one am glad to see the anti-racism marches. It's needed, otherwise the racist view is not visibly challenged.

Bet the police are thrilled…