News / Castle Park
Protest planned in Castle Park
A protest to “stop the boats” will take place on Saturday.
On Monday, 11 children and two adults were attacked by a man with a knife during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
In a protest that followed on Tuesday rioters were heard saying “stop the boats.”
is needed now More than ever
A British teenager, Axel Rudakubana, has been charged with three counts of murder.
A poster shared on X on Wednesday has called for people in Bristol to meet at Castle Park on Saturday August 3 and make their voices heard.
While politicians have used the phrase “stop the boats” to signal their aim of stopping “illegal” migrant boats crossing the Channel, increasingly the phrase has been used by anti-immigrant protestors.
Users on X have posted in support of the planned Saturday protest, with some calling for the mass deportation of “illegal” migrants.
Others on the platform have said the planned event would encourage people to “riot” and was “stirring up hate”.
Take your racist sh*t else where.
Bristol dosen’t want or need you drunken yobs here!!— Ellen Morgan (@Ellie_BoatBird) August 1, 2024
In response to the announced protest, some groups have organised a counter protest which will start an hour before the “stop the boats” protest.
A flyer seen by Bristol 24/7 calls for counter protestors to resist “fascism, racism and islamophobia.”
Today, a statement drafted by three prominent Muslim groups – All Mosques of Bristol, Bristol Muslim Cultural Society and the Bristol Muslim Strategic Group – was shared in a community WhatsApp group.
The statement, seen by Bristol 24/7, calls for Muslims in Bristol to”not enter the City Centre” on Saturday and for young people to “not engage with any counter protest”.
The statement also advises that there will be “policing around all mosques” on Saturday.
Avon and Somerset Police have said that enhanced stop and search powers will be in place in certain areas surrounding Castle Park from 12pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday.
A Section 35 dispersal zone has also been authorised for these areas, granting the police power to move on groups or individuals causing, or likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress.
Main photo: Mia Vines Booth
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