As they waited for the trainload of ‘far-right protestors’ that would never arrive, Wycombe locals shared their opinions on the conversely ‘hateful or logical’ rhetoric of the demonstrations seen across the country this week.
News of an ‘enough is enough’ protest on High Wycombe High Street yesterday (August 3) began circulating on social media mid-last week – prompting MP Emma Reynolds to join local faith leaders in condemning the “division” stoked by “the far right” in response to a tragic knife attack that left three young girls dead in Southport on Monday.
It was one of several protests reportedly planned across England following violent riots in Southport in the immediate wake of the tragedy, after false claims spread online that the suspect, later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.
While violent disorder did break out in some towns and cities on Saturday, Wycombe was exempt from the riotous scenes seen in Hull, Liverpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Nottingham, among others.
Some speculated it was because the trainloads of protesters travelling from an unknown location had been diverted, but whatever the reality, the few – mainly local – people gathered on the High Street yesterday afternoon had their own opinions about the week’s events and the prospect of “civil unrest” on their doorstep.
Mark Lewis, 46, is an engineer who lives in Marlow Bottom. He came out with a few friends to stage a counter-protest against what he viewed as a campaign of targeted “hatred and misinformation” across the country.
Mark said: “I hoped it would rain and they’d get put off, but it looks like they’ve been put off anyway. We just didn’t want them marching through Wycombe unopposed.
“I don’t pretend to understand the reasons behind (the protest). It was triggered by the murders in Southport, but it’s now come out that the guy behind them was of Rwandan heritage and a Christian who grew up in Wales.
“I think the far right has felt disempowered since the election and this is them trying to fight back. But it’s such a waste of police resources – the officers we’ve talked to have been amazing, but they could be elsewhere doing something more important.”
Brandon Manterfield, 22, a chef who lives in High Wycombe and has a two-year-old daughter, said he had been planning to join the protest – but thinks other demonstrators have gone too far in stoking violence over the last few days.
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He said: “This isn’t about politics – it’s about our children and their right to be safe. A lot of people are saying it’s just the far-right who are protesting, but I’d say I’m pretty centrist. I’m just concerned for my daughter and the next generation.
“I think we need reform in every aspect of our government – it breaks my heart to see our once proud and strong country being trampled all over, and I think protesting is an important part of democracy.
“But when you start instigating violence and attacking the police, the message gets lost. It’s the groups that are jumping on trains who are causing the problems. I understand that ultimately, we all have to get along.”
Lincoln Mitchell, 56, a software designer who grew up in Wycombe but has lived in Australia for the last few years, said he was at the protest with his father who is “concerned about extreme Islamist terrorists”, especially in the wake of the stabbing on Monday.
He said: “We know now that the attacker wasn’t of Muslim descent, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are too many people coming over. I think the majority of these incidents are from extreme Islamists, so it’s logical that people’s first impressions will be that, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.
“I just don’t want to live in a society where you feel fearful. I wouldn’t consider myself a football hooligan and I definitely wouldn’t say I’m a racist. But I do see the dangers of extremism across the board – and people with extreme Islamist views in this country are causing a lot of issues that we need to stand up against.”
Li, a student bartender who was also born in Wycombe and describes himself as an “independent Buddhist-Christian”, said the low turn-out at the protest made him “proud” to be a local.
The 23-year-old said: “The thing we’ve learned in the last week is that safety isn’t as guaranteed as we think it is. The attention should be on how that guy got into the dance class in the first place – and I think fear is behind some of these violent demonstrations.
“But today, I feel proud to be where I’m from – I came here alone and it’s become a gathering of local people, friends and musicians, and we’re all standing together in peace. I think that says more than any far-right movement can ever say.
“It’s a good opportunity to show that peace and unity do exist somewhere – on High Wycombe High Street.”
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