Hundreds of anti-immigration demonstrators took to the streets in Faversham

KentOnline / KMTV

Where counter-protestors organised by groups such as Faversham against racism were separated off by a sizeable police presence.  Local Democracy Reporter, Ollie Leader reports.

Transcript

00:00It was supposed to be a polite and peaceful protest but what I saw on the

00:14ordinarily quiet streets of Favisham just an hour before anti-immigration

00:20demonstrators were set to march through the town centre was anything but. For

00:26weeks St George's flags have been cropping up around the quiet market town. Now I stood

00:32in front of a huge crowd of counter protesters who according to the local

00:37vicar were here to stand up against intimidation. People living in this

00:42community our community was so frightened and I'm just so delighted that so many

00:47people have turned up today to say that actually this is our town that we believe

00:52in love we believe that people should be free to walk the streets without

00:56fear. By 11 I began to see the numbers evening out hearing the boom of slogans

01:02and songs pouring across police lines.

01:05And it seems to me that it is such a shame that we've got this division and that it's kind of landed

01:19on this issue of immigration. It's very difficult to see how this is going to go

01:25today because I've never seen these many people out on the streets and so angry.

01:31By the time the planned march was underway I was surrounded by police officers. The whole street

01:53is a sea of red, white and blue. I saw the protesters were heading towards Acacia Court. A former care home

02:01currently used as a reception centre for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. A sticking point for many of the counter protesters.

02:11I think the idea of protesting against children who are in dire circumstances is abhorrent.

02:19This is an attempt by a minority to impose their particular view of the world on the majority.

02:25As the crowd swept through the residential streets of the town, I saw among the demonstrators there were children,

02:32some not even teenagers. They stopped just short of Acacia Court where you could see a wall of placards and law enforcement.

02:42Behind me are hundreds of counter protesters separated off by Kent police from the anti-immigration march.

02:50And as you can hear behind me, their voices are incredibly vocal.

02:54This display of anger was directed to me just moments later. A reminder of some of the mistrust in the media

03:12that I had experienced throughout the day. I had tried to speak to some of those in attendance,

03:18including the organiser of the protest. The ones that did choose to speak to me said the future of public safety and services

03:27were their primary concerns.

03:29It's not about races. Not about races at all. It's all about prioritising our country.

03:35I can't get no mobility. I'm at the table. I can't get mobility. I've got to reapply for it because all the money's been gone elsewhere.

03:44By 1.30 I saw that the marchers were beginning to dissolve away. Speaking to Kent police afterwards,

03:50they clarified that there were no arrests made. But with more protests being discussed on social media,

03:56the scenes I witnessed here could soon be repeated in other quiet market towns and on other historic streets.

04:05Only leader in Favisham.

04:06Only leader in Favisham.

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