Rowley: police and communities together ‘defeated the challenges that we’ve seen’
The Metropolitan police commissioner has described Wednesday evening as a “successful operation” and said that communities and police working togehter
In his statement Mark Rowley he said:
It was a massive policing operation. I’m really pleased with how it went. We put thousands of officers on the streets, and I think the show of force from the police, and frankly, the show of unity from communities together, defeated the challenges that we’ve seen, and it went up very peacefully last night.
He added that there were “a couple of locations where local criminals turned out to try and create a bit of antisocial behavior and we arrested a few of them” but he concluded:
It was a very successful night, and the fears of sort of extreme right disorder were abated. So, a successful operation, thanks to communities and police.
Key events
Northern Ireland assembly to meet at noon to discuss violence in Belfast
Prime minister Keir Starmer has resisted calls for parliament to be recalled, but the Northern Ireland assembly in Stormont will convene a plenary session today at noon to discuss recent scenes of violent disorder on the streets of Belfast.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is set to lead a rally outside the meeting in opposition to the rioting, PA Media reports.
MLAs will debate a motion condemning “criminal damage and targeting of businesses in recent days”. Traditional Unionist Voice MLA Timothy Gaston has tabled an amendment to the motion demanding that the assembly support “the right to peaceful protest, including against uncontrolled immigration”.
During a visit to Belfast yesterday, Northern Ireland secretary Hilary Benn condemned “racist violence” in Belfast in recent days and stressed that it “does not represent Northern Ireland”.
Labour’s policing minister: previous government ‘hollowed out’ neighbourhood policing
Labour policing minister Diana Johnson has criticised the previous Conservative government for “hollowing out” the police force over the last 14 years.
Asked on Sky News if she felt police had the right resources to tackle the type of violent disorder seen on the streets of England and Northern Ireland in recent days, she said:
We’re four weeks into a Labour government. One of our promises in the manifesto was we want to increase police numbers in neighbourhood policing. We think that’s been hollowed out over the last 14 years.
We know we’ve got a lot of young officers in service because there was a massive cut to the police in the last 14 years. At the tail end of the previous government, they did increase numbers again, but that’s a lot of young, inexperienced officers, who are doing a remarkable job, I have to say.
So I think there are some questions about how we go forward, making sure that our officers have the training and the leadership that they need, but I am really very proud of what the police have been able to do over the last few days, facing this level of criminality on some of the streets in our country.
Policing minister Diana Johnson says ‘good’ we didn’t see ‘disorder and criminality’ but ‘this is just the start’
Asked if she felt things had turned a corner, Labour’s policing minister Diana Johnson said she was “cautious” about what happened last night, saying “It’s good that we didn’t see the level of disorder and criminality on our streets that we have in previous days. But obviously this is just the start.”
She told Sky News she wanted to pay tribute “to the work of our police officers up and down the country. Over the last few days, some of them have faced violence and abuse. They put themselves in harm’s way on behalf of keeping us all safe. So I think we need to pay tribute to them. I also want to pay tribute to the leaders of the policing community.”
Johnson attributed the lack of expected violence last night to “the presence of the police on our streets, combined with the consequences that people are now seeing for the actions that they’ve taken … over 400 people arrested … over 120 people charged.”
She said “There are consequences for the criminality on our streets, and I think that swift justice that we’re seeing is also helping to make people think twice about getting involved on the streets.”
Helen Livingstone
Via my colleague Helen Livingstone, here is a round-up of how the press in the UK covered last night:
UK headlines were dominated by far-right rallies and the protesters who set out to counter them, with much of the expected violence failing to materialise. Even as shops shut up early and local police forces in England and Wales braces for unrest, far-right gatherings either did not take place or were outnumbered by counter-protesters who formed human chains around asylum centres.
The Guardian splashed on “Thousands take to the streets to counter threat from far right” with a picture of crowds in Walthamstow, east London waving placards reading “Refugees welcome” and “Stop the far right”.
The Daily Telegraph ran with “Britain shuts up shop over riots threat”, reporting that MPs had been advised to work from home while GP surgeries closed and shops boarded up their windows, with a picture of a man hammering up plywood across the front of a Samaritans charity shop in Southend, Essex.
The i headlined on “Far-right rioters face football ban as ministers bid to curb unrest”, writing that rioters involved in violence could be barred from matches as “police probe links with hooliganism”.
Read more here: ‘Standing together’: What the papers say about far-right rallies and counter-protests
Shamann Freeman-Powell, speaking to viewers from Walthamstow, just gave viewers of Sky News a rundown of some places where there had been minor trouble last night. She said:
In Portsmouth near a Border Force agency, some people there were holding up banners saying “save our kids” and chanting some of the same sort of sentiments. In Aldershot as well, officers said that they had to separate some opposing protesters as tempers did flare. In Bristol one arrest was made after a brick was thrown at a police vehicle.
Archie Bland
Last night’s counter-protests were the subject of our First Edition newsletter today, with Archie Bland looking at how events unfolded:
It is too early to say with certainty why the far right were so heavily outnumbered last night, but we can make some educated guesses.
The extremists are not centrally organised, and it’s not like there was a sign-up sheet being distributed: it may be that there were never that many people who intended to show up in the first place. The mugshots, charges and prison sentences that have already been handed out to some of the perpetrators of the recent violence may have made others realise the risk of following in their footsteps.
The well-publicised extent of the police presence at potential flashpoints could also have been off-putting. And for those who did turn up, the presence of overwhelming numbers of counter-protesters may have led to a loss of nerve – and either very limited actions, or a decision to slink quietly away.
That is not to say that the night passed off wholly without trouble: in Blackpool, Aldershot, Portsmouth, and Chatham in Kent – as well as a few other places – there were confrontations between the two sides, or episodes of vandalism and intimidation. But those flashpoints were in the minority. Here are a few of the stories of what happened everywhere else.
Read more here: Thursday briefing: The story of the night when the far right were outnumbered
Rowley: police and communities together ‘defeated the challenges that we’ve seen’
The Metropolitan police commissioner has described Wednesday evening as a “successful operation” and said that communities and police working togehter
In his statement Mark Rowley he said:
It was a massive policing operation. I’m really pleased with how it went. We put thousands of officers on the streets, and I think the show of force from the police, and frankly, the show of unity from communities together, defeated the challenges that we’ve seen, and it went up very peacefully last night.
He added that there were “a couple of locations where local criminals turned out to try and create a bit of antisocial behavior and we arrested a few of them” but he concluded:
It was a very successful night, and the fears of sort of extreme right disorder were abated. So, a successful operation, thanks to communities and police.
Welcome and opening summary …
Good morning, and welcome to our ongoing coverage of UK politics on a morning when most of the headlines are about broadly peaceful anti-racism demos. The man in charge of London’s police has described the evening as a “successful operation” when communities and police came together. Met commissioner Mark Rowley said “I’m really pleased with how it went”. We are expecting to hear from policing minister Diana Johnson, and Conservative MP Mel Stride is also on media duties this morning.
It is Martin Belam with you for the next few hours. You can get in touch at martin.belam@theguardian.com.