A protest, believed to be an anti-immigrant demonstration, is scheduled for Sunday at the Jubilee Clock in Weymouth at 5pm. The event, promoted locally through social media with the slogan “Enough is enough,” follows a week of unrest and violent protests linked to the far-right across the UK after the Southport stabbings.
The Southport attack, which resulted in the deaths of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, has been surrounded by widespread misinformation on social media. This has led to at least 15 protests being advertised online for the coming days, with many calling for participants to bring England flags and using slogans like “enough is enough,” “save our kids,” or “stop the boats.”
Stand Up To Racism Dorset is organizing a counter-protest at the same location. Lynne Hubbard, co-chair of the group, stated, “We have heard about plans for a protest in Weymouth. We don’t know who is organizing it, but it sounds like people who are hostile to immigrants and refugees. We are having a unity protest where we will be spreading the message that refugees are part of the community and are welcome here.”
Hubbard emphasized the importance of countering the anti-immigrant sentiment, saying, “Making them feel that they are a valued part of our community is our aim. It is an important message that there is nothing to be afraid of; people from other countries don’t pose a threat and they enhance our community. We would not have a hospital in Dorchester without people from overseas working there.”
Dorset Police have issued a warning to protesters and increased the number of officers to ensure public safety. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan stated, “We have been liaising with the organisers of both protests to ensure people can exercise their right to protest legally and safely without causing significant disruption. We will seek to enable peaceful protests, but let me be clear that if people are intent on committing public order or criminal offences, they will be dealt with robustly.”
Callaghan also noted the increased demands on public services due to the warm weather and expressed gratitude to the officers working to ensure a safe environment for the community.
Jake Brewer 
Salem Bin Sahl