To the thousands of people amassed in Trafalgar Square in London, Samara Ali said in the final speech at the rally: “We feel like we have turned the tide. It’s a testament to our mobilization that they failed to come out. They would not have been stopped if it was not for our mobilization.” (Independent, Aug. 11)
In total, tens of thousands of anti-racists rallied in cities and towns across Britain, including English cities Cambridge, Exeter, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hastings, Oxford, Manchester and several sections of London. Banners and signs reading “No to racism!” “Refugees welcome” and “Stop the far right!” were carried by thousands of rally-goers in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
United Against Racism mobilized 15,000 people at an anti-racism rally in Belfast, where a popular chant was “When migrants’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”