Fears of more disorder in Blackpool amid nationwide protests went mostly unrealised last night.
It comes after an army of 6,000 riot police officers was put on standby to respond to more than 100 planned protests and potentially around 30 more counter-protests yesterday evening.
One national newspaper said it would be Britain’s biggest policing operation, with officers from 41 out of 43 forces in England and Wales deployed.
And one police source told the PA news agency yesterday: “Today is probably going to be the busiest day of the week, into the evening. Tonight, we think it’s looking like a credible picture. We are preparing for activity across 41 forces.”
Details of the “Enough is enough” gatherings were widely shared on social media, with demonstrators urged to “mask up” by a far-right Telegram channel, according to one national newspaper.
Immigration centres were said to be targets, while an “arson manual” was also reportedly shared on an online forum.
Precautionary measures were taken at the Enterprise Centre in South Shore, which is host to an immigration law firm and was named on the internet as a possible protest location, it is understood.
In the hours before the demo was due to get under way, it was unclear as to what would transpire, though one political source was told to expect a significant police presence at several sites in the resort, including at the seafront Metropole Hotel, where the previous government chose to house asylum seekers.
But by 7.55pm, the only sirens came from a passing ambulance. There was an insignificant crowd, made up mostly of teenagers and bystanders.
Police cars routinely drove past and occasionally stopped but there was no constant presence prior to 8pm, though private security vehicles were parked nearby.
Windows on the glass-fronted Enterprise Centre had not been boarded up, a possible sign that perhaps intelligence - or a lack of it - had led to the conclusion that no serious disorder was expected.
“There are more YouTubers than protesters,” one bystander quipped.
At about 8.30pm, amidst a crowd gathered down the road, near to the roundabout junction with Waterloo Road, under the watchful eye of three police officers on foot, a bottle was smashed on the ground.
Minutes later, as a man stood beside the road clearing away the glass, a police van pulled up and several officers appeared from nowhere, tackled and detained him. As the crowd jeered, he was put in the back of a van.
An arrest in Blackpool. Credit: Michael Holmes / The Blackpool Lead
The street suddenly burst into brief life, with officers with barking dogs controlling the crowd.
But things were not as they were on Saturday, and any later excitement extended only to a small group of men and youths waving a St George's flag - upside down - from a roundabout while singing “England ‘til I die”.
By 9.30pm, the crowd had largely dispersed. Videos on social media showed police vehicles travelling at speed down the Prom and towards the Metropole, where there was a heavy police presence but only a small handful of people draped in flags.
Protests planned elsewhere in the county in recent days, following skirmishes in Blackpool on Saturday, also failed to materialise.
Lancashire Police’s assistant chief constable Phil Davies said on Tuesday: “We have seen lots of information circulating online about possible events in Lancashire that haven’t come to anything, so please think twice about what you read, share and believe from online sources.
“There are a lot of motivations for why people may be sharing information so be critical and, if in doubt, look to trusted voices such as the police and your community leaders.”
However, Davies said any disorder would be met by a “robust policing response”.
He added: “We will not stand by if disorder begins or vandalism begins. Arrests will either be made immediately or retrospectively.
“To those seeking to commit these offences, let this be a message to you: we will identify you, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”
Following violence in Blackpool town centre at the weekend, at least 20 people were arrested in the resort, police said.
Three men on Tuesday pleaded guilty to their part in violence, including attacking emergency workers and wielding a metal pole as a weapon.
Blackpool South's Labour MP Chris Webb, a former Lancashire deputy police and crime commissioner who visited Lytham Road to speak to protesters and support police, said earlier: “Over the past week I have been in constant contact with Lancashire Constabulary, who are working incredibly hard to ensure that any further potential disorder is contained and diffused.
“I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to them and my reassurance to residents and businesses that the situation is being dealt with robustly.”
He added: “Anyone who brings violence or hate to the streets of Blackpool will feel the full force of the law.”
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