So far so good for the fightback? It began to seem so on Thursday. The rumour mill had threatened some 160 racist and rightwing gatherings across the country on Wednesday night. Almost every police force in England and Wales was on active alert to deal with the likelihood of violence. Some 6,000 riot-trained officers were deployed in multiple centres. Mosques, solicitors’ offices and shops were boarded up as if for the arrival of a hurricane.
In the event, the hurricane failed to show. There were around 30 isolated attempts to create trouble in places including Aldershot, Croydon, Bristol and Dover. But they were relatively small, all quickly snuffed out and dispersed. They were eclipsed by the far larger public response on the streets from peaceful crowds of anti-racists. Those numbers bore witness to a determination to preserve community cohesion and harmony in dozens of threatened places. They also spoke for public opinion more widely. On Wednesday, as the Met police chief, Sir Mark Rowley, put it, the people, the police and the courts did a good night’s work together. Hope not hate was the message of the hour.
