‘Show of unity’ from communities and police ‘defeated challenges we’ve seen’ from far-right riots, says Met chief – live | UK news

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 crime 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 crime 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.”

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 materialize. Even as shops shut up early and local police forces in England and Wales braced for unrest, far-right gatherings either did not take place or were outnumbered by counter-protesters who formed human chains around asylum centers.

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 Yo headlined on “Far-right rioters face football ban as ministers bid to curb unrest”, writing that rioters involved in violence could be swept from matches as “police probe links with hooliganism”.

Read more here: ‘Standing together’: What the papers say about far-right rallies and counter-protests

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 organized, 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 realize the risk of following in their footsteps.

The well-publicized 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

The Metropolitan police commissioner has described Wednesday evening as a “successful operation” and said that communities and police working together

In his statement Mark Rowley 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.

Good morning, and welcome to our ongoing coverage of UK politics on a morning when most of the headlines are about generally 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 [email protected].