Do I detect a soupçon of regret? Of what might have been? You could have been one of those 4 far right loonies, or failing that, you could have had a decent meal instead.
I'm happy with my lentil casserole mate, thanks.
That’s good to hear.
Personally, I don’t think ’Counterprotestors’ are really serving much purpose other than antagonising the ‘other side’ just by their presence - they still have to be policed and kept apart from the rioters - it’s not fair on the police frankly to give them that extra burden.
If people want to help spread ‘normalcy’ and ‘peace’, perhaps the best way to counter the far right and racist content is to engage with it on social media by; calling out political leaders like Farage who encourage a xenophobic and white supremacy worldview that feeds into a Great Replacement conspiracy ; calling out multibillionaire social media platform owners, like Musk, for allowing toxic and extremist content on his platform; not retweeting information about where riots are planned; refraining from organising counterprotests and fact check everything.
As for people here saying political debate about migration has been stifled in this Country, I say not so - although I do believe the FEAR of immigration, is worse than the ‘problems’ caused by irregular immigrants or even net immigration which is falling sharply btw, it is not racist to say immigration levels are too high - there is a sustainable limit to population levels but I think it IS racist to say ‘immigrants are not welcome’, or ‘immigrants are to blame’ for the increase in social deprivation and failing public services in the last 14 years - and it is definitely racist to attack and scapegoat fellow British citizens on the basis of their ethnicity.
Immigration is falling but the economic cost may be high - UK in a changing Europe
Jonathan Portes analyses the latest immigration figures from the Home Office and Office for National Statistics.ukandeu.ac.uk
We know the majority of citizens in this Country are tolerant, law abiding and rational otherwise we’d have a far right government in power. The results of the General Election suggests that the majority of the voters disenchanted with the Tories still preferred a Labour Government to a hard right, populist one and personally, I am thankful for that.
If you follow Durham Constabulary on Facebook, there is a video of a lad chucking bricks and then getting arrested. I think that was about the extent of the disorderNotwithstanding that, it'll get stuck on the map and added to the list of places that have seen riots or "disorder".
This is a report from somebody at the Northern Echo who went down see what got Darlington stuck up alongside Belfast and Birmingham on Monday night:
What I saw as reports of disorder in Darlington circulated on social media
With tensions running high across the country, reports of 'riots' in Darlington began circulating on social media. Andrew White describes the scene.www.thenorthernecho.co.uk
"Back on Greenbank Road, a man had a terse exchange with police officers when they stopped him driving down Gladstone Street. He reversed, parked up and glared at the officers as he walked down the street instead. That was the angriest I saw anyone all night."
"There were still other youths around the edge of the street and in the car park. I think milling around is the best description of their demeanour."
We have enough left wingers surely
Tommy Robinson, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, Oswald Moseley, Nick Griffin, Adolf Hitler, that bloke who took a tray of crap from Greggs . . . your boys are having one hell of a tree hugging session.
There will always be some arnti fascists who want a fight, but if ordinary people, women, families, pensioners, etc. were to show up peacefully in huge numbers, this would be over very quickly. This isn't our country. These are a very small minority that have become emboldened by the lack of immediate reaction from the silent majority who were busy with normal responses to the tragedy of murdered little girls with tears and empathy, not beer, bigotry and violence.
Ooh err.
Not true - yes it started famously in Cable Street but fascist mobilisations have been a fairly regular feature of British life for the past few decades and I’m afraid they need to be demoralised where they think their strengths are - in the streets. It’s the only language they understand and it works! They will never show their ugly faces in Brighton because they’ve always been run off in the past.
There’s a great turnout right now of anti fascists in Brighton, don’t stay home, go and join them
Pretty much. I gather they arrested him and then anybody there with any sort of intention to cause trouble left.
Not a great turn out so far.
