Britain remains on alert for further unrest even after anti-racism campaigners clash with far-right

British authorities said Thursday they were preparing for the possibility of further unrest, even as they praised the efforts of anti-racism activists and police who largely quelled a wave of threatening far-right protests overnight.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged caution after a week of anti-immigrant violence that has scarred communities from Northern Ireland to the south coast of England. Starmer spoke to reporters at a mosque in Solihull, near Birmingham, where protesters shut down a shopping centre on Sunday.

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“It’s important that we don’t make concessions here,” Starmer said. “And that’s why later today I’ll have another (emergency) meeting with law enforcement, with senior police officers to make sure that we reflect on last night but also plan for the days ahead.”

Police across the UK had braced for widespread unrest on Wednesday night after far-right activists circulated a list of more than 100 sites they planned to target, including immigration lawyers’ offices and others offering services to migrants.

But these demonstrations did not take place, as police and counter-protesters took to the streets.

Carrying signs reading “Refugees Welcome” and chanting “Whose streets? Our streets,” people turned out en masse to protect asylum service centers and immigration lawyers’ offices.

The government also declared a national emergency and deployed 6,000 specially trained police officers to respond to any disorder. Police said the protests and counter-protests were largely peaceful, although a small number of arrests were made.

“The show of force by the police and, frankly, the show of unity by the communities has helped to overcome the challenges we faced,” said Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. “It was very peaceful last night and fears of far-right unrest have been allayed.”

But tensions remain high after far-right agitators stoked violence by spreading false information about the identity of the suspect in the stabbing that killed three girls in the English seaside resort of Southport on July 29. The last child hospitalized following the stabbing has been released, police said Thursday.

Nearly 500 people have been arrested across the country after anti-immigrant mobs clashed with police, attacked mosques and stormed two hotels housing asylum seekers.

Among those arrested was a man in his 50s suspected of “inciting murder”. The arrest came after a local Labour councillor allegedly called for far-right protesters to be “throated”.

The Labour Party has suspended Ricky Jones after he allegedly made the remark at a protest in London on Wednesday.

The government has pledged to track down and prosecute those responsible for the unrest, including those who incite violence online.

In a bid to deter people from taking part in future unrest by showing that rioters will be swiftly brought to justice, television cameras were allowed into Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday as Judge Andrew Menary sentenced two men to 32 months in prison.

At the hearing, prosecutors showed video of rioters throwing bricks at police and setting trash cans on fire. One suspect was among a group that ripped the bumper off a police vehicle and threw it at officers as onlookers cheered.

“It seemed to me there were hundreds of people watching, like it was some kind of Tuesday night entertainment,” Menary said. “They should all be ashamed of themselves.”

The Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly held a special session on Thursday to address the unrest, with Justice Minister Naomi Long saying the violence and racist attacks of recent days were “not reflective” of the people of Northern Ireland.

“We need to say what it is. It’s racism, it’s Islamophobia, it’s xenophobia,” she said. “If we want to confront it, we need to say what it is and challenge it.”

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The government is also considering imposing sanctions other than prison sentences, including banning rioters from football matches. Home Secretary Diana Johnson told LBC radio that those involved in disturbances should be punished.

“I think all options are being explored, to be honest, and I’m quite clear that most football clubs don’t want to be seen to have football hooligans and people committing criminal acts on the streets of local communities in their stands on a Saturday,” she said.