Anti-racist rally draws thousands to central London

 Bangla Mirror Desk:

Thousands of protesters marched through central London on Saturday, 26 October, in a major anti-racist demonstration amid heightened tensions following recent civil unrest across Britain.

The protest, organised by Stand Up to Racism, began in Piccadilly, proceeded through Trafalgar Square, and ended in Whitehall. Demonstrators carried banners reading “Smash the Far Right” in what organisers described as a show of force against far-right groups, including the English Defence League and its former leader Tommy Robinson. Far-right protesters, who describe themselves as “patriots,” held their own demonstration on Saturday, too, claiming Britain faces threats from immigration and what they term “Islamification.”

Opposition figures Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott addressed the crowd alongside trade union general secretaries. Police forces nationwide were deployed to maintain order during the event.

The demonstration follows civil disturbances in July after the tragic murder of three young girls in Southport when social media misinformation sparked racist unrest. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned those riots as “far-right thuggery.”

A significant contingent from London’s Bengali community joined the march under the UNITED campaign banner, including prominent community activists and local leaders from east London. Anti-racist activists Nooruddin Ahmed, Rajonuddin Jalal, Ala Miah Azad, Syed Gulab Ali, Javed Akhtar, Ansar Ahmed Ullah, ex-Cllr Shahid Ali, Smrity Azad, Abdul Mukit, Maya Chowdhury, and Ahmed Fokor Kamal, amongst others, attended the demo and march.