Protesters and counter-protesters faced off in Bournemouth on Sunday, adding to the anti-immigration tensions flaring across the nation after the Southport killings, but dispersed without violence amidst heavy police presence.
Anti-immigration demonstrators began gathering in front of the Town Hall around 10am, holding placards that said ‘Stop the Boats’ and ‘British Lives Matters’. Across the road, by the War Memorial in the Central Gardens, counter-protesters took position, chanting anti-racist slogans and waving messages of ‘Refugees welcome’ and ‘Stop the far right’.
“I am here to protest about the illegal immigration,” said a protester draped in a St George’s Cross flag. He gave his name as Sean. “We are losing the British way of life. We have been far too tolerant and sadly, that has been turned into something else now.”
Referring to the counter-protesters, he said: “A lot of them seems to be foreigners. I don’t think they should be here today. They have a lot of racist cards, claiming that we are racists. It’s got absolutely nothing to do with that.
”This country has always taken in foreigners. But Middle England has had enough. We don’t believe they are running away from wars. They are financial migrants, and that’s something this country can’t afford.”
From across the road, separated by layers of police officials who had marched from riot vans parked on adjacent roads, chants of ‘Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here’ could be heard.
The ranks of both groups had swelled by now. A Dorset Police drone circled above over the green of the gardens, urging calm and issuing a public safety message.
The counter-protesters included such groups as Stand Up Against Racism and Extinction Rebellion, and staff from educational institutions in the area.
Asked what motivated them to be here, a counter-protester, who did not want to give his name, said: “In 1939, my dad volunteered for the RAF to fight fascism. That’s what I am doing now. These people want to destroy democracy. They are the rich people’s bully boys. They are not going to have the streets of Bournemouth.
”Migrants are not to blame. Migrants come here and work in our public services, in our health services—and they pay their taxes. The billionaires, they don’t pay their taxes. [If they did], there would be no problem with our public services.”
Beverly, a protester on the other side of the divide, saw matters different light. She was here to stick up for what her grandparents fought for, she said, “to save our country”.
“It seems we are second citizens now,” Beverly said. “I am not racist at all. But when we know there are older people who are going to bed at six o’clock because they can’t afford heating, and they can’t afford to have their teeth done—and those are the people who fought for us. I feel I need to stick up—”
Cut in the man with her: “If it weren’t for our grandparents and parents, none of that lot would be here speaking English.”
Pressed on their views of what an ideal society in the UK would look like, he added: “Fifteen million illegals and migrants thrown out of the country straight away. Then the government get all our lazy 9 million on benefits to work. Then we wouldn’t need them (migrants).”
A counter-protester, who did not wish to be identified by name, offered the view that many anti-immigration protestors were being misled by political propaganda.
“The people who are really causing problems are not the refugees,” she said. “They are the ones in power, who withhold what everyone needs — decent education, a decent NHS. The people who have come here have been misguided into believing that the people to blame are the refugees.”
Dr Hammadi Nait-Charif of Bournemouth University said some of the points made by the anti-immigration made sense, such as the problems arising out of the economic downturn.
“But they blame the wrong people,” he said. “They blame the people who have come from overseas, but if they go to our NHS to see a doctor, they’re very likely to see someone who has come from overseas. And after this demonstration, when they go for a sandwich, they are most likely to have a takeaway or a kebab prepared by someone from overseas.”
The chants and counter-chants continued in some strength past noon. At the height of the protest, some 200 protesters and 250-odd counter-protesters could be seen at the venue.
The Bob Marley hit ‘One Love’ began to play from the speakers on the pro-immigration side around 1:20pm. By now, protestors had begun to disperse in large numbers. And soon after, the riot vans, which had bought additional police personnel from outside Bournemouth, began to pull out.
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