Swindon is braced for a far-right protest this evening as rumours spread on social media.
The suggestion of a march outside the County Ground and into the town centre has left people fearing violence and disorder after recent events across the country.
In Plymouth on Monday (5 August), hundreds clashed with police with several officers injured. It follows dozens of riots in the UK after three children were murdered in Southport.
In a post on Telegram, 39 targets have been identified – many housing or supporting refugees.
Swindon does not feature on this list, with the nearest protests taking place in Bristol and Oxford.
However, posts on Facebook and Snapchat suggest a far-right march is to start at the County Ground at around 7pm today (Wednesday), before heading into the centre of town.
It’s understood Wiltshire Police and Swindon Borough Council are aware – with efforts ongoing to protect the public ahead of potential violence.
The news comes after the force said it was ‘ready to respond’ to violence locally.
In a statement on Tuesday (6 August), the force confirmed that there are an additional 4,000 order-trained officers ready to be deployed up and down the country.
Deputy Chief Constable Craig Dibdin said: “Policing is part of every community and we are committed to keeping you safe – we will not tolerate any attempts at division.
“Whilst we have not seen the level of criminality other areas of the country have endured, we have a series of dynamic policing plans in place which means we can respond proportionality to any incident within our communities.
“We will facilitate peaceful and lawful protest, but, let me be clear, we will not tolerate any disorder or behaviour which negatively affects the safety of our communities.
“We’d encourage calm and ask our communities to stick together and stay united.”
He added: “There is a lot of misinformation on social media and a lot of hatred being circulated about the root causes of this violent disorder.
“We’d ask people to look to their local leaders, officers and trusted news sources for updates and information.
“We know there will be members of the community who are feeling frightened and marginalised at this time. We are here for you, and we are committed to keeping you safe. These criminals do not speak for our communities, and no one should ever have to fall victim to hate crime.
“Finally, I’d like to publicly thank our officers, staff and volunteers for their commitment to protecting the public.”
