THOUSANDS of members of the public, trade unionists and campaigners protested against racism and the far right in towns and cities across Britain at the weekend.

In the last two weeks Islamophobic and racist violence escalated across the country after the far right exploited the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport to incite riots. 

But this weekend in London, over 5,000 people gathered outside the Westminster headquarters of the far-right party Reform, whose racist rhetoric has helped fuel the hate seen on the streets.

Speaking at the protest, Stand Up to Racism national organiser Samira Ali said: “The constant rhetoric about ‘stop the boats,’ about immigration being a problem, about refugees and Muslims being to blame in society: this is all rhetoric that’s been replicated on the far-right riots. 

“That’s created the toxic atmosphere in which the far right have been able to build.”

A crew from GB News, where Reform leader Nigel Farage regularly spews his racist views, was spotted at the protest, sparking chants of “GB News off our streets!” from the crowd.

Hundreds gathered in Liverpool, where rioters wreaked havoc in the city centre the week before.

Knowsley councillor Chantelle Lunt spoke for the first time after her son and husband were followed and targeted with death threats by a far-right goon several days ago.

“The community reached out with love and solidarity, and the solution to this hate will always lie in our communities. We have to come together,” she said.

“I cannot comprehend that we now live in a world where my son has experienced worse racism than I experienced in the ’80s and ’90s.”

PCS union president Martin Cavanagh called on trade unions to mobilise as a movement.

He underscored that it’s not those who live in our communities that are creating division and hate, but politicians who “peddle a cuts agenda.”

“So when we take up the fight against the fascists, we also have to take up the will to educate, to make it clear that it’s not people who come to this country seeking refuge who are the enemy: it will always be the capitalists and a capitalist state.”

In Manchester, over 3,000 gathered in Piccadilly Gardens, where a violent mob attacked a black man at a “Stand up for Your Country” far-right rally last week.

And over 1,000 were on the streets of Newcastle, vastly outnumbering a small group of far-right protesters. 

Hundreds turned out in Hull, where rioters last week looted shops and launched missiles outside a hotel housing asylum-seekers. 

Only 15 protesters from the far right showed up at their “action” in Norwich and were faced down by 500 anti-racists.

And in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, about 300 anti-racists gathered outside Cedar Court Hotel, housing refugees, in solidarity.

In Scotland on Friday, Paisley and Bathgate workers rallied to defend hotels housing people seeking asylum.

In Paisley, more than 250 rallied in the car park of the Watermill Hotel while a handful of thugs who had planned to harass occupants of the hotel stood across the road mumbling racist slogans to themselves.

And solid turnouts in Paisley and Bathgate did not dent the big numbers rallying at events across Scotland over the weekend.

Rumours of a fascist demonstration in Glasgow’s George Square were swept aside as over 1,000 workers gathered for the anti-racist rally there, interrupted only briefly by the arrival of Alistair McConnachie, self-styled leader of fascist party Green Independent Voice.

Mr McConnachie, who was once refused renewal of his Ukip membership for challenging the numbers murdered in the Holocaust and whether gas chambers had been used, announced his presence on the square by loudhailer — accompanied by his lone friend holding a placard stating: “Asylum frauds out.”

He was swiftly driven from the square by both campaigners and police.

Other rallies took place in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The days of unrest came after far-right agitators exploited the fatal stabbing of three young girls to push their racist agenda. They spread lies online claiming that the alleged attacker, who was born in Britain to a Christian family, was Muslim and a migrant.

The following weekend, mobs attempted to murder refugees in asylum hotels in Rotherham and Tamworth by trying to set the buildings alight following calls to mobilise circulated on far-right social media channels.

Immigration centres and mosques have also been targeted and hate crimes against Muslims increased by threefold. 

Over 700 arrests have been made, and 302 people have been charged in relation to the disorder.