Dozens of far-right rallies are set to target immigration centres , lawyers ’ offices and charities across the country - further raising fears after days of violent riots on Britain’s streets.
A list of at least 39 immigration law specialists, asylum support organisations and immigration services across England is believed to have been widely circulated on social media, identifying their addresses as targets for far-right demonstrations in the coming days – alongside flame emojis and calls to “mask up”.
Concern for the safety of lawyers has been voiced, while Tell Mama, a group monitoring Islamophobia in the UK, said it had alerted police and counter-terrorism to the “far-right threats”.
Stand Up to Racism strongly condemned this “dangerous, violent minority” for attempting to “create a moral panic around immigration” and “destabilise the country” after the election of the new Labour government.
Calling for “people to stand together” at the counter-protests the group is organising at every location named on the list, Weyman Bennett, co-convenor at Stand Up to Racism, told The Independent : “They’ll realise they’re facing the whole of the community and they’re not speaking on our behalf.”
Anti-fascist campaign group HOPE not Hate has warned that many on the far-right have been buoyed by the violent events of the weekend, and further demonstrations are already in the pipeline for over the weekend too.
It comes as the prime minister said a “standing army” of specialist police officers is being assembled to crack down on rioting, as he called for perpetrators to be named and shamed.
Sir Keir Starmer vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” after an emergency Cobra meeting was called in the wake of a sixth day of disorder, which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers and clash once again with police officers.
Police clashed with crowds one week on from the Southport stabbings as the escalating violence continued over the weekend across the country.
So far, there have been 378 arrests since the violence broke out last week, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) warning the total was expected to rise each day.
Several suspects faced charges in court on Monday, as ministers and police chiefs descended on Westminster for the meeting setting out the response for the coming days in a bid to clamp down on further unrest.
Calls for the army to be brought in have so far been dismissed, with the government insisting the police already have the resources needed to respond.
Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson condemned the violence which has already taken place, and said they have “serious concerns about the safety and wellbeing of our members” after the list was shared giving “targets for further protest and violence this week”.
He described such gatherings as a “direct assault on our legal profession” and therefore a “direct assault on our democratic values”.
He said he had written to the prime minister, lord chancellor and home secretary “asking that the threats against the legal profession are treated with the utmost seriousness”, adding that those members listed are being supported.
He added: “It is paramount that justice is done for all those who have been involved in, or are victims of, the riots.”
The Public and Commercial Services Union called for the protection of its members working in visa and immigration offices.
General secretary Fran Heathcote and national president Martin Cavanagh said: “Visa and immigration offices are now the target of fascist thugs, threatening our members’ safety and that of the community where the offices are located.
“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We are calling on employers, management and government ministers to act urgently to protect their staff, the communities they serve and the individuals who rely on their services.”
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