Home Affairs and Security Editor Mark White delivered his analysis of comments made by the Commissioner of Police of the MetropolisSir Mark Rowley (pictured left)
Up to 25,000 counter-protesters took to the streets last night after a list of anti-immigration demonstrations suggested wider rallies across 39 towns and cities.
Home Affairs and Security Editor Mark White delivered his analysis of the protests and counter-protests which broke out last week following a knife attack in Southport resulting in the death of three girls.
Speaking on the events last night, White said: "A largely peaceful night really down to one factor and that was the protests that were planned largely didn't materialise.
"We know that various police chiefs are giving themselves a self-congratulatory slap on the back and saying that they had robust policing plans in place - which I'm sure they did.
"But, the violence was avoided because one side more or less - apart from a few very minor exceptions in Blackpool for instance where a very small number of protestors turned out - no one turned out.
"So you had all of these thousands of people in communities across the country turning up under the banner of 'Stand up to Racism' but they had no one to come up against so it went very peacefully."
Stephen Dixon added: "Thank heavens in a way because if the two sides had clashed then there really could have been a problem."
White agreed saying: "Yeah, and I think this is one of the worrying issues in the messaging that's been coming out from, in particular, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley who is praising the community for the united show of force.
"Well, it would have been an entirely different situation if in those London boroughs there was a significant number of protestors who came out. Then you potentially would have been looking at some serious disorder."
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"The very significant numbers of those that turned out were peaceful, law-abiding people who were very concerned about what was happening to their communities and wanted to show that on the streets.
"But amongst them are what I would say professional protest types that come out in the anti-racism protests that we see a lot.
"Now I speak to frontline officers all the time and they tell me that their input out in protests is often very unwelcome because it means it is more difficult in terms of a policing operation because they then have to police two separate groups."
White then questioned encouraging people to come out after seeing lots of "masked up youths" and "people that were clearly looking and spoiling for a fight," which they didn't get.
White asked if other protestors do turn out "how wise it is to encourage people to be coming out and showing this level of unity or force against them."
