Bristol Anti-Rasism, Its Citizens Distribute Permen To British Migrants Who Are Wary Of Right Wings Rusuh

Illustration of pro-migrant calls. (Miko Guziuk-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A number of cities in England are heating up. Optremist masses with right-wing political tendencies took to the streets to hold anti-migrant protests accompanied by violence, looting and action to burn the library.

It also happened in the city of Bristol where the longmarch crowd was shouting protests from Castle Park towards Redcliff Hill until the final destination of the Mercure Hotel.

But it's not that easy for the masses to reach the hotel destination where the migrants live in Bristol.

The reason is that not a few of the native British residents around the neighborhood have made a blockade so that the right-wing crowd does not enter the Mercure Hotel area to prevent asylum-seeking migrants from being targeted by violence.

Warga Bristol ini kemudian membagikan candy dan toy untuk para keluarga migran di Hotel Mercure yang merasa waswas dengan aksi sayap kanan Inggris.

One of them was a woman named Toni Mayo who saw the importance of the people of Bristol to unite and spread the message that migrant families were accepted in Bristol.

"Last night must have been very scary for the [migrants] families. We [competitive demonstrators] formed a blockade in front of the hotel and some people tried to storm the hotel before the police arrived and took over the situation," said Mayo, who is also an activist and social worker at Unison, quoted from the Bristol Post, Monday 5 August.

"It is very important for us to show that Bristol is a friendly city. We have a long history of welcoming everyone, migrants are welcome here," he stressed.

Mayo is also one of the residents to initiate fundraising for migrants in Bristol.

The raising targets funds to be collected at 700 pounds or around Rp. 14.4 million. However, only two hours managed to raise more than 1,800 pounds or Rp. 37 million so that donations were closed more quickly.

Mayo said the fundraising was closed because the money raised was more than enough to buy candy and toys for migrant families.

I would like to congratulate the people of Bristol for doing what they can to be positive and make [migrants] families feel welcome here. I will also encourage more people to help support the opposing demonstrators and show that everyone is accepted, "he said.

Last weekend, anti-migrant protests led to riots in Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, Bristol, Sunderland, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool and Belfast in Northern Ireland.

The riots were triggered by right-wing extremist masses clashing with the police.

Many of them wear head coverings or faces shouting slogans of nationalism by waving the British flag or Union Jack, and caught on camera throwing stones, pieces of wood, chairs and road markings at the security-preserving police.

The mass action was also marked by looting of liquor stores in Manchester, including the burning of libraries in Liverpool and police stations in Sunderland.

The right-wing crowd inspired by the former leader of the British anti-migrant group, Tommy Robinson, rioted following a 17-year-old boy who killed 3 boys in Taylor Swift's dance class in Southport, England on Monday last week.

The impact of the stabbing of anti-migrant protests was driven by the right-wing 'English Defense League' in front of the mosque at St Luke's Road, Southport, Tuesday, July 30.

However, the action turned into riots after the crowd threw bottles and stones at the front of the mosque where the police were guarding.

At least 22 police officers were injured in the riots in front of a mosque in Southport. Meanwhile, one ambulance and one police vehicle were also burned by the crowd.