Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said “fears of far-right disorder” ended last night due to a successful police operation and the “show of unity by communities”.
Sir Mark said he was “very pleased” with how the night operation went, following a “show of force” by police.
It was thought that at least 100 far-right marches were planned to take place across the country, including in London.
“We put thousands of police officers on the streets and I think the show of force from the police and, frankly, the show of unity from the communities together defeated the challenges that we saw,” said Sir Mark.
As the night progressed, the far-right protests did not take place as initially thought and instead counter-protesters appeared in UK cities – including Birmingham, Liverpool and Brighton.
Sky News police correspondent Martin Brunt said there had been reports of “small pockets” of far-right protesters in places including Portsmouth, Brighton and Blackpool.
However, he said fears that this would be the biggest night of trouble had disappeared.
More than 6,000 specialist police officers have been deployed amid fears of a repeat of the violence seen across the country last week.
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Asked what his message is to those who took part in the disorder, which began last week in Southport after three young women were stabbed to death in the Merseyside town, Sir Mark said: “You will not get away with it.
“You’re on body worn video, you’re on CCTV, frankly, you’re on national TV, you’re going to be arrested and you’re going to be in prison for years.
“The public needs to know that there are consequences for these types of actions.”
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