Last night, Metro.co.uk reported live on the ground from North Finchley, where a large counter protest formed to ward off any far-right demonstrators from an immigration centre listed in an online list.
In an exclusive video now shared widely on social media, we caught the moment a protester who was draped in an English flag began yelling at counter protesters.
In just under an hour, the counter protest on Finchley High road grew from around 20 to hundreds of people waving signs reading ‘Refugees welcome, stop the far right.’
Across the street from the counter protest, locals were snapping photos of the demonstrations when a very small group arrived with the man wearing an English flag.
The counter protest began with a moment of silence held for the three girls killed in Southport and the others who are still recovering from their injuries.
Soon after, the counter protesters began to move across the street after the pavement became too crowded. Metro then witnessed counter protesters and people who were with the English-flag bearing man begin to engage with each other.
Counter protesters were jeering at the man, who appeared to have lost his English flag in the few moments it took Metro got closer to the scene.
Agitated, the man began yelling back at the counter protesters who were booing the man, who was surrounded by police. The man yelled back: ‘Do what you f***** want.’
A man who was with him attempted to calm him down. The counter protesters, who outnumbered the man by dozens, began chanting: ‘No one wants you!’
One sneered: ‘Where’s your mum?’
The man, who was guided back after lunging towards a protester who kept chanting it, yelled: ‘Nobody wants you. Nobody wants you, c***s.’
Another altercation broke out, but both people involved were guided away quickly by police, but not arrested.
To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk's London news hub.
The counter protesters were heard chanting, ‘Who’s streets? Our streets!’ Before he was guided away from the counter protest, the man began yelling: ‘My streets! My f***ing streets!’
The protest in Finchley remained peaceful throughout the evening after the minor altercations witnessed by Metro.co.uk.
It was thought far-right demonstrators were planning to show up outside of an immigration centre in Finchley, resulting in large numbers of counter protesters showing up to deter them.
The counter protesters seem to have achieved their goal – no other altercations happened for the rest of the evening, and Metro walked alongside the protest as it marched towards Woodside Park Station.
Metro spoke to a lone woman in Finchley who was holding a sign nearby the man who was led away, reading: ‘Love all and support the right.’
She told us she had fled Cyrus in 1974 and ‘saw hate on both sides’ of the protests and riots. She said she condemns violence on all sides.
Elsewhere in London, large counter protests were seen in Walthamstow, Brentford and elsewhere in the UK.
6,000 officers had been bracing themselves for 100 race riots and 39 attacks against immigration services coordinated across a shadowy network of Telegram groups.
More than 400 people have been put in cuffs for their alleged role in the rallies, with about 140 charged so far.
The i newspaper is reporting that government officials are looking into a different kind of punishment for those involved in the riots – football bans.
Hoolganishm has long overlapped with nationalist movements, so senior ministers are hoping to work with football organisers and clubs to ban agitators.
They’ll do this, according to the paper’s sources, by using The Football Offences Act which covers offences made two hours on either side of a game.
Officials hope to extend this to cover the anti-immigration violence.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
