Hundreds of Muslims have gathered on a street in Birmingham since Monday, in the seventh day of unrest and riots occurring in the United Kingdom, following the deaths of three young girls in the distant town of Southport, located 27 kilometers from Liverpool. Most of the participants were seen wearing masks and head coverings, with some holding Palestinian flags, forming a protective circle around a mosque threatened by a demonstration planned by far-right groups today, Tuesday.
It was also observed that individuals stood like guards around the Village Islamic Centre, while local shops closed their doors in anticipation of potential violence. This comes amid clashes that occurred between far-right protesters and anti-racism advocates in Plymouth, southwest England, where three police officers were injured during the confrontations, despite 150 officers being deployed in the city center where two protest groups formed, resulting in six arrests so far.
In Birmingham, a crowd of men, some wearing masks and head coverings, could be heard chanting "Allahu Akbar" and pledging to "protect" themselves in a video shared on the social media platform X, where a man appeared to be holding what appeared to be a large bat. Many British media outlets expressed increasing concern over the potential outbreak of violence and riots stemming from far-right demonstrations against immigrants and Muslims, led by the English Defence League (EDL), which included attacks on hotels housing migrants, similar to incidents that occurred in the past two days.
During a live broadcast from one of the stations, a masked protester interrupted a journalist who was reporting, speeding behind her on a motorcycle and shouting, "Free Palestine, go to hell with the English Defence League." The journalist mentioned that a man wearing a mask had punctured a tire of one of the station's broadcast trucks, but caused no damage to her, and she escaped unharmed.
A former independent parliamentary candidate of Pakistani origin, Shakeel Afsar, urged his fellow Muslims not to "go out" and "confront" the far-right extremists, arguing that this is what the protesters want. Afsar stated in a video he shared on X: "We should not give the far-right extremists what they want. When they go to city centers, there's no need for us to go there and try to confront them... Yes, if they announce they are protesting outside a mosque, you have the right to go in, pray, and defend the mosque. But if they are coming to city centers, dear brothers, do not go there."
