Thousands of people in Kent and the rest of England have joined counter-demonstrations against anti-immigration protests.
Riot police were on standby in Dover, Canterbury and Medway last night.
Hear from reporter Abby Hook who was at the Innovation Centre in Chatham where people gathered. She also spoke to some anti-racism demonstrators .
Also in today's podcast, more animals have been attacked with weapons in Kent than any other part of England and Wales.
Data given to KentOnline shows more than 60 reports have been made in the county in the last four years.
You could be fined if you're heard swearing in Thanet.
The council's brought in rules covering Margate, Birchington, Ramsgate and Broadstairs which they say are 'hot spots' for abusive behaviour.
A homelessness charity says it's working with people who've pitched tents next to a busy road in Canterbury.
There are concerns for the group who're sleeping on a grass verge right next to the dual carriageway. Hear from Catching Lives which is based in the city.
And in sport, Kent's cricketers have suffered another defeat in the one day cup.
They lost by three wickets to Worcestershire Rapids - on the Duckworth-Lewis method last night.
To find out what you can find out in the comments below. 10. Kent Online News News You Can Trust This is the Kent Online Podcast. Nicola Everett Hello. Hope you're okay. Thanks ever so much for downloading today's podcast on Thursday, August the 8th and thousands of people in Kent and across the rest of England have joined counter demonstrations against anti-immigration protests. Riot police were on standby in Dover, Canterbury and Medway last night. There was some disorder in Chatham as more than a hundred people turned up for a rally at the Innovation Centre, where anti-racism demonstrators started up a chat. A rival group of anti-immigration protesters also got involved by disrupting the message. That's understood three people were arrested KMTV's, Abby Hook, was at the protest in Medway. Tensions are still running high, outside the Innovation Centre here in Chatham, it's about 9pm now. Police have managed to push a lot of the people here, probably around 100, maybe more to the other side of the dual-carriage way. It is causing some disruption to the traffic flow here, there is a bit of a backlog to the traffic on Maidstone Road, it's a busy dual-carriage way, but police have managed to get people to the other side of the road, away from counter-protesters who are holding banners saying 'refugees welcome'. At least two people have been tackled to the ground, handcuffed and taken away by police, and that was after individuals turned up with Union Jack flags, waving them at counter-protesters. The counter-protesters had signs saying 'refugees welcome' and they were chanting. Police have now managed to push people to the other side of the dual-carriage way and it is causing some traffic backlog on Maidstone Road, a very busy dual-carriage way, a lot of people probably trying to get home from work, but so far police have managed to reduce the tensions here and it's starting to calm down. As you heard those protests took place outside the Innovation Centre on the Maidstone Road, Jeremy Spiby, Stinson is co-chair of the Medway Green Party and was there. When it started out there wasn't too many to begin with, but as the nights gone on more people have come out, so it's a worrying sign really that this many people on the side of wanting to attack or cause damage to the building have turned out. I mean this isn't going to help anyone who's lost their life or been affected over the past few weeks from different violent incidents across the country, so it hasn't achieved much from their point of view, but we've been here to send a clear message that in Medway we won't tolerate racism, we won't tolerate discrimination and as a community we'll come out soon. As a community we'll come out to defend premises and locations where there's risks there then being damaged. And you've come out in full force with different political parties that you wouldn't usually agree with, but you've all sort of formed some sort of coalition I suppose tonight? Yeah absolutely, I mean as a party we sent forward a statement to all of the parties in Medway to try and put out a shared message, one that's about unity calling for calmness and respect to one another, and that's been the message all along and it's been one we've invited all the parties to share. I think it's really important for privileged people with political power to use the space to use their voice to put out messages of unity and peace, rather than leave that space for the far right to intrude and spread division and hate. Abi also chatted to Onyx Rist who was among those facing off the anti-immigration group, he's the diversity officer for Medway Lib Dems. I think it's been really successful, we've stopped fascists once again just like we did 10 years ago when Britain first decided to come to Rochester, we've stopped them doing what they want to do once again, so it's been a pretty successful evening from our perspective. A lot of people might not look at this and think it's successful, so what's been successful for you, what were you expecting people to do here? So the fact that the innovation centre is still safe, we know they wanted to attack Medway innovation centre, we've stopped that from happening, they're on the other side of the road, we're right outside the innovation centre, so we're really pleased with the result and the police have been fantastic. In Gravesend, cohesion plus held an interfaith gathering to show unity, these are some of the people who took part including organising Govinda Sander who we actually heard from in the podcast earlier in the week. In Liar, what's going on nationally, we organise a small interfaith gathering here in Gratian, so pleased that everyone came out and supported us, it's so important that we, as a community in Gratian, as a community of Ken, as a community of the United Kingdom, stand together, united, we stand, provided before. I'm representing the Muslim community alongside the other faiths, leader here, and the whole purpose is on this current difficult times, we are all together, we are largely united, and Gravesend is always united. It's really important that the community and some of the religious leaders all come together and ensure that we're working together for the beverment of question. From my Christian perspective, the Bible is really clear that God says that we must love our neighbours, we must love each other, and there is no space for hatred in Gravesend, there's no space for hatred in Gravesend, we need to make sure we look after each other. It's important that we give us a strong message out there to keep the harmony and reassure us to our community members. The reason for us being here today is that we as a community, where they can do and seek all of them, we're actually together with each other, and we're actually together as a team and as a community. Good communities rely on strong bridges and we're here to make sure our bridges are in place, to make sure Gravesend is a community where we talk to each other, we know each other and we work for a better community. Now following last night's demos, the policing minister has said she's cautiously hopeful a corner's been turned in the unrest. Now the riots were sparked by misinformation shared online following the Southport stabbings last week. There's online news, other top stories for you today and a folks demand who carried out a stabbing then intimidated his victim when it was reported to police has been jailed. Tyler Flisher left a man needing hospital treatment after a disturbance in Hawkins in October 2022. The 21-year-old from Prichard Drive has been locked up for two and a half years. Her teenagers have been flown to hospital following a stabbing in Gillingham police and ambulance crews were called to Canterbury Street after the victim managed to ask KFC staff for help. We're told he's in a stable condition, so far no arrests have been made. A nine-year-old girl died in hospital two days after a collision involving a bus in Bexley Heath emergency crews were called to Watling Street on Saturday. Her five-year-old brother was also taken to hospital as a precaution. The bus driver was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury through dangerous driving and drug driving. Today, more animals have been attacked with weapons in Kent than any other part of England and Wales. Data given to Kent online shows more than 60 reports have been made in the county in the last four years. Crossbow, so the weapon, which has seen the biggest increase in its use in attacks, which if Edmund is lead wildlife officer at the RSPCA, I've been chatting to him. He says it's incredibly concerning. Sadly, we're seeing more and more weaponized attacks on animals than that can be catapults, it can be crossbows, it can be air rifles. Quite rowingly this year, in the first six months of this year, we've seen an increase in the attacks by air rifles on cats in particular. We've had 44 incidents reported nationally for cats in the first six months of this year, so it's a worrying trend and we need to make people aware it's happening. We need people to be vigilant and, of course, report anything if they do see anything suspicious. We've certainly covered quite a few stories, sadly, about animals that have been affected in that way, particularly catapults and maybe young people armed with catapults. Has that been quite a significant increase as well? Yeah, Tiles, I mean, generally we're seeing a 23% increase in the number of animals attacked by weapons. We've already seen this increase of, you know, in cats' 44 attacks already, so it's a combination of crossbows, catapults, and air rifles, sadly. And Kent tops that list, so not great for the county when we look at the county breakdown. What's, for the animals that survive these horrific attacks, what sort of injuries are they suffering? Oh, it can be quite severe, sadly, some animals don't survive and had to be euthanized. We actually lost a fox in Kent that had been targeted with a catapult by a group of teenagers and that sadly lost its life, and it can be, we think it's probably things like cats that are out there and use the targets, with wild birds, it's often things like swans, geese, bird, ducks that are sat there, so it's animals that have been targeted for fun, for target practice, and that's what's so sad and sickening for us to have to see on the front line. I was going to say it must be really distressing for all of you that have to go out to these calls to these animals. That's not a nice thing to have to deal with. No, I mean, we want, as the RSP here, we want to be there for every kind of animal. It's our 200th year, our 200th anniversary, and we should be celebrating that and not having to deal with ever increasing cruelty trends like we're seeing here. We see rises in the summer months when more animals are targeted and it's just, it's unspeakably cruel and it's unspeakably acceptable, you know, we shouldn't have to see this in 2024. It's averaging 200 parts a year, it's, I would think, and hope that most people are appalled by these sort of attacks on the animals. If it was, you know, a pet cat or something that came home injured, you're going to be very worried, you're going to be very anxious, you're going to believe it's in the debate. But at the same time, what people are seeing people out there deliberately wanting to cause suffering and intentionally harm animals, and that's what causes the pain and suffering, and I think the hard part on the front line is we will try and help as many animals as we can, but we can only deal with those that are reported to us. So there will be animals that aren't reported to us, that may go away and die, suffering horrific pain and suffering and distress, because nobody's actually seeing them. So with all these things, we look at what we're seeing, we look at the trends, but the worry is that it's the tip of the iceberg and there's animals out there that were not able to help because they're not being seen, which is really quite sad. 'A man's been charged by police investigating violent thefts against women in Maidstone. One victim was reportedly hit in the face as a bank card was stolen in Church Street, a second was attacked near Knight Rider Street and had a bag taken, a 27-year-old from the town has appeared in court. Follow Kent Online News on socials to see a picture of a man police are hunting following an attack in Ashford. It happened at a building on Canterbury Road on Sunday night, it's thought a man pictured on CCTV can help with the investigations. A person's been treated for burns and the effects of breathing and smoke after a garage fire in Canterbury. Four fire engines were called to mark it way yesterday evening, the blaze was spreading to the roof of an adjoining bungalow, it's unclear at the moment how it started. Now, you could be fined if you're heard swearing in Thannet, the Council's brought in rules covering Margate, Birchington, Ramsgate and Broadstairs, which they say are hotspots for abusive behaviour. Under the Public Space Protection Order or PSPOs, as they're also known, officers can dish out £100 penalties. Linda calls that lives in Ramsgate, she told us what she thought about it. I think it's a really good idea really, I really do, I mean not all children are like that but to the ones that are really disrespectful and I think it's a good idea, I really do. Okay, you've got free speech but that doesn't include swearing or anything, really. Free speech is free speech but not being abusive and making a horrible behaviour and swearing. Now I don't agree with that at all. We'd like to know what you think too, you can share your views by commenting at Kent Online or via our socials. Kent Online reports. To former carpet rights doors in Kent are going to reopen as Benson's for beds. Other sites in Canterbury and Gillingham are among 19 that have been snapped up by the retailer. After carpet right, collapsed into administration last month. It could mean some jobs are saved and one way system in part of Maidstone is going to be made permanent after an 18 month trial. The scheme was introduced near the Broadway last March to try and reduce congestion. At first hundreds of drivers were ignoring the rules but extra signage has now been installed. For the first time, bosses at Canterbury Cathedral have said they'd consider allowing a phone mast on the historic building. If you've ever been to Canterbury before, you will know that reception in the city is notoriously bad but putting up mast is an issue because it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Now no formal applications have been put in but as spokesman's confirmed, they're always looking for ways to help benefit the city and the cathedral. We'd love to know what you think, is it a suitable place for a phone mast to go? We can leave your comments today on the website. Our homelessness charity says it's working with people who've pitched tents next to a busy road in Canterbury so we're staying in the city with our latest story. There are real concerns for the group who are sleeping on a grass verge right next to the dual carriage way, not far actually from Canterbury East Railway Station. Lucy has been chatting to Tasman-Mateland who's from catching lives. We are seeing people pitching tents right on the busy road. It's a real concern in terms of safety and again it shows people are getting stuck on the streets, they don't have many options and so they're sort of being forced to make use of what's available and that's putting them at risk and creating a situation that we haven't seen before so that is a sign of how acute the homelessness crisis is at the moment. Yeah and of course people driving past are seeing that day in and day out and you know I can only imagine what it must be like to be sleeping right next to a busy road like that. How's that impacting on them to be in that situation? Have you spoken to any of the people who are actually down there? People who are sleeping in that site tell us that it isn't great, it's really noisy, it's really difficult to rest, it feels risky yet at the same time when people have stayed in other sites they've either been moved on, potentially lost some of their belongings perhaps they've been moved on by the council or by other landlords whose land they've been on and so there are other risks depending on the sites that people are in so people say to us yes it's noisy and it's dangerous but I feel safer here than I perhaps did in the city centre where you've got the risk of being moved on or losing belongings and you might have people who are say drunk after a night out who can often disrupt people who are sleeping rough or even you know attack them or there's a lot of risks wherever you're sleeping rough there's different risks so people tell us yes it's dangerous but I feel it is safer there than it has been in other places particularly because there's a group of people together so there is that sense of safety in numbers to an extent. We're expecting some stats out on statutory homelessness from the government and in your point of view do you think numbers have increased over the last year or gone down or stayed the same? It's our experience at catching lives that we are seeing an increase in need in particular people needing our services for longer so once people are becoming homeless or a threat end with homelessness it's taking us a longer time to help them find a way to solve that problem and to either help them to get off the streets or to secure some stable accommodation. And why use that is it because of the growing demand or resources not available? We think it's a combination of factors the pressures of the cost of living crisis have continued to push more and more people to the brink of homelessness or onto the streets because of the difficulties of pain for everyday essentials you know food bills and rent there are also issues with housing supply so people have very few options if they become homeless getting off the streets or getting back into stable accommodation it's just a lot harder there are fewer properties available rents are rising so the options for people especially on low incomes are very few. And of course politically we're in a very different situation now than this time last year we've got a different government we've got labour in power as opposed to the Conservatives last year do you think there are any big changes on the horizon and what would you urge the government to do to tackle the issue? So at Catching Lives we encourage government to create joined up strategy around homelessness policy so taking into account all the different government departments that need to work together to help not just only to fight housing but to ensure people have got adequate income access to health care, mental health care, social care all of these factors need to be addressed together we're hopeful that things can change and change for the better we know it will take time and for the people we work with it can't come soon enough we've got people who are really struggling out there and who are really stuck in homelessness and try as they might they they're not going to be able to find housing and find a way out of homelessness unless there's government support to do that. Meantime bosses in Ashford have bought 14 new flats for temporary accommodation it's as a homeless person camps outside their offices in Tannery Lane the authority say they're aware of her situation and are trying to support her. And finally hundreds of people have signed a pledge to take over a popular pub in Medway the flying saucer in Hempstead closed two months ago now villages are hoping to be granted what's called an asset of community value to protect the building from being sold off to developers. Ken's online sports starting off at the Olympics in Paris and Ken's Erin McNeese's in action in the lead climbing today. A 20 year old from Sittingborne is going in the semi final elsewhere Kate French from Meantime and Jo Chung from Seven Oaks are taking part in the fencing ranking round of the modern pentathlon and in cricket Kent have suffered another defeat in the one day cup they lost by three wickets to Worcestershire Rapids on the duck with Lewis Method last night the Spitfires travel to Derbyshire for their next match tomorrow. That's all from us for today thanks ever so much for listening don't forget you can follow us on Facebook X Instagram TikTok and threads you can also get details on the top stories direct to your email each morning via the briefing to sign up just head to kentonline.co.uk and whilst you're on the site today don't forget to check out our latest eat my words food review news you can trust this is the Kent online podcast (dramatic music)
