Anti-immigrant protest organisers branded ‘cowards’ by PSNI chief constable

PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher has branded the organisers of planned anti-Islamic and immigrant protests in the north at the weekend as “cowards”.

Mr Boutcher was speaking at a meeting of the Policing Board after it emerged that several right-wing protests are being organised via social media.

The call comes after three children were murdered in a knife attack in England earlier this week.

Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) and Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9) died at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s event in Southport on Monday.

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A 17-year-old, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, has since been charged with their murders and ten counts of attempted murder.

After the callous killings multiple false claims were made on social media including suggestions the suspect was a refugee.

The unfounded claims have been linked to unrest that broke out in several English towns and cities including Southport, London, Hartlepool, Manchester and Aldershot.

Social media messages have now called for anti protests to be held across the north on Saturday, including Belfast, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus, Larne, Bangor and north Down.

One message circulated urges “woman and children to the front”.

Another post calls on all “well intentioned Christians, parents and law-abiding citizens” to take part in a march from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Islamic Centre at University Street, in south Belfast “to demand a withdrawal from our communities and our Christian country”.

People have been urged to bring “Christian flags and banners” as well as well as Irish and Union flags.

Asked about the planned protests at a Policing Board meeting on Thursday, Mr Boutcher said he was aware of the plans and was preparing for the potential protets.

“We are still trying to understand who is behind it,” he said.

“There’s no set organisation showing themselves on social media, which sort of defines the cowardly nature of the people who do this nonsense.

“There is obviously from the social media calling an intention to try and do something on Saturday.”

Mr Boutcher said he has set up a Gold Command structure, meaning someone with the rank of superintendent or above will be in charge of the PSNI’s response.

“We have got a gold structure in place around this, we are looking into the intelligence now to see who, if anybody, is actually involved and going to respond to this,” he said.

“Again, I would point people to what happened in London yesterday, and Hartlepool and obviously Southport.

“This is based on poisonous nonsense, it has no basis in a society that see what hatefulness can do to a society and I would appeal for everybody, everybody, to push back against any of this utter awful nonsense.

“If there is going to be any gatherings, we will police them and we will police them effectively.”

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said plans for a march from Belfast City Hall have not been notified to the Parades Commission.

“Protest is a fundamental human right….our main concern around this is the fact that it’s simply people intent on stirring up fear and hatred,” he said.

“I would ask that anybody that does intend to engage in any form of protest activity follows the advice that we issue to the public regularly on this.”