Planned far right protest in London last night (Wednesday, 7 August) were outnumbered by counter protest as more than 1,000 police officers were deployed across the capital.

Anti immigration protests were planned to take place in London towns such as Hounslow, Walthamstow, Harrow and Finchley, but counter protest and police presence took charge last night.

In the early hours, MPS Hounslow posted to X that no disorder had occurred in the borough, but arrest were made in other parts of London.

Activists from Stand Up To Racism were spotted on Great West Road, Brentford holding signs reading "Refugees welcome. Stop the far right" in response to anti-immigration protests.

Heston Action Group said: "The whole community has come together this evening to show that hate & racism has NO place in @LBofHounslow and that our diversity, friendship & tolerance is our strength... Thank you to all & the police officers who kept the streets safe."

The Met Police has confirmed that only one arrest was made in Hounslow for possession of an offensive weapon, while 10 were made in Croydon (four for violent disorder) and four in Waltham Forest. 

Ealing Liberal Democrat Councillor Jon Ball, commented on social media last night: "Delighted to see that the counterdemonstration in Brentford greatly outnumbered the far right.

"That was the nearest place to Ealing that was targeted tonight.

"The same pattern has been true right across the country. There are so many more of us than there are of them."

Police were stopping and searching some individuals in Brentford last night (credit: @kanengonji/X).

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said: "This evening more than 1,000 officers were deployed in London ready to respond to events planned across the city. They were ready to protect our communities from hateful, divisive and violent behaviour.

"Two large anti-racism protests took place in Waltham Forest and Finchley. The majority of people engaged with officers and complied with conditions. These events passed without major incident or disruption.

"However, officers did face anti-social behaviour from a small group in Croydon who were not related to any protest, but were intent on causing trouble.

"Our top priority has been to keep our communities safe, prevent significant disorder and swiftly deal with any offenders. A number of arrests were made across the city this evening.

"We used a range of powers as part of our policing operation in order to keep people safe. This included the use of Section 60 and 60AA powers across various locations, giving officers extra powers to stop and search people and request the removal of face coverings. As a result, officers seized a number of weapons.

"I want to thank our communities for coming together across the capital and for showing community spirit this evening. I would also like to thank the committed officers who have been working hard to police London today, serving their communities and keeping people safe."

In the build up to the protests last night, one reporter said that they saw "masked individuals" heading to the immigration advice office in The Mille, Brentford but that there was a "huge" police presence and stop and search was being enforced.