Thursday Briefing: Antiracism protesters gather in Britain

August 8, 2024

	By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering fears of new riots in Britain and the battle for the Midwest in the U.S. election.

Plus, the youngest athlete at the Paris Games.

Police officers standing near shuttered shops as a woman nearby pushes a stroller with a young boy.

North Finchley, a suburb of London, yesterday. Neil Hall/EPA, via Shutterstock

Antiracism protesters gather in Britain amid fears of violence

Thousands of police officers were mobilized across Britain yesterday amid fears of a new round of anti-immigrant riots after far-right groups called for further protests. But at least as of early evening, large far-right protests had not materialized, and only a handful of arrests had been made.

Instead, thousands of antiracism protesters gathered in cities across the country, including Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and London. Some of those demonstrations were close to places that had been identified as potential targets for rioters.

In Liverpool, people banged drums; chanted, “Fascists out!”; and held signs that read “Love Not Hate” as a helicopter circled overhead. The gathering was diverse, made up of locals who were surprised that their street had become the center of a demonstration, as well as union groups and others who voiced condemnation of the recent violence.

Context: Rioters clashed with the police, set cars alight and targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers over the past week. The chaos was fueled in part by an online disinformation campaign after a deadly knife attack on a children’s event in northwestern England.

Social media: Elon Musk has been posting incendiary comments about violent protests on X, angering Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024

The presidential election is less than 100 days away. This is what we’re watching.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz greeted a group of children during a campaign event in Wisconsin.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz arriving in Wisconsin yesterday. Kamil Krzaczynski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The battle for the Midwest began

The Harris and Trump campaigns made dueling appearances in the same city yesterday, as both vie to win over a crucial portion of the American vote. Their planes landed at the same airport, one seemingly right after the other. Here’s the latest.

Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, held a packed rally of 12,000 people in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Donald Trump’s running mate, spoke in an industrial garage in the same city with a handful of blue-collar workers behind him.

The Harris campaign said it had raised $36 million in the 24 hours after Walz was named to the ticket. That builds on the $81 million her team said it had raised in the first 24 hours after she entered the 2024 race.

Here’s what else to know:

Until he was in his 40s, Walz didn’t show much interest in a political career. Here’s the story of his late, fast rise.
Walz’s progressive record as governor parallels his state’s move toward more liberal politics.
Trump dangled tax-cut proposals. The most recent and costliest of these ideas would end income taxes on Social Security benefits.
The former president criticized the Democratic ticket on “Fox and Friends,” describing Harris as a “nasty person” and her and Walz as communists.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us and we’ll find the answers.

Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The “Run-Up” podcast | On Politics newsletter

A diver, almost vertical in the water facing head-down, over a spiny white patch of coral.

David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The end is near for the Great Barrier Reef

This generation will probably see the demise of the Great Barrier Reef — the largest coral reef system in the world and often called the largest living structure on Earth — unless humanity acts with far more urgency to rein in climate change, according to new research by scientists in Australia.

The study found that recent extreme temperatures in the Coral Sea are at their highest in at least 400 years, as far back as the analysis could reach. Too much heat causes corals to bleach, meaning they lose the symbiotic algae they need to survive.

MORE TOP NEWS

Smoke rises from a burning pile at a crossing, with people walking by in the background.

The party office of the ousted prime minister in Dhaka on Tuesday. Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Bangladesh: Rioters targeted Hindus, perceived as supporters of the recently deposed prime minister, torching their homes and vandalizing temples.
Ukraine: Troops and armored fighting vehicles have crossed into Russia’s western Kursk region and appeared to be advancing in a major incursion onto Russian soil.
Austria: Three Taylor Swift shows were canceled after officials said that a person who was arrested and accused of plotting a terrorist attack had been focused on her tour.
Thailand: Since the Move Forward Party won the last election, conservative forces have kept it out of power. A court just disbanded it.
Germany: A small hotel in the Mosel region collapsed, killing two people and prompting a frantic effort to rescue guests from the rubble.
Middle East: Several Arab countries are encouraging Iran to exercise restraint in responding to the assassination of Hamas’s political leader.
Japan: A weak yen fueled a three-year stock rally. Three days exposed its fragility.
Papua: Gunmen killed a New Zealand pilot in the restive Indonesian province.
Celebrity: Suga, a member of the K-pop group BTS, lost his driver’s license after riding an electric scooter while drunk.
Science: The world’s largest iceberg is stuck in a vortex over an underwater mountain.

Olympics

Artistic swimmers facing away with their right arm extended.

Team China at the Paris Olympics. James Hill for The New York Times

Artistic swimming: China won gold in the team event, with the U.S. taking silver — its first medal in 20 years — and Spain won bronze.
Pole vault: Nina Kennedy won gold for Australia after clearing 4.90 meters.
Taekwondo: Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit defended her women’s 49 kg title by beating China’s Guo Qing in a close final.

For more: What to watch | Live updates | Medal count | Photo highlights | Olympics Briefing

MORNING READ

A still image from the film, “The Blair Witch Project.” Artisan Entertainment

In this age of misinformation, where it’s hard to trust images and information, we’re remembering a certain blockbuster indie horror film.

Twenty-five years ago, “The Blair Witch Project” harnessed the now-common trope of found footage and a burgeoning internet to create a powerful buzz. Audiences found themselves asking “was that real?” A police officer even called the creators to ask them about the case.

Lives lived: Patti Yasutake was known for her roles in the hit Netflix series “Beef” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” She died at 70.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Eau de kennel: Dolce & Gabbana is releasing a dog perfume. Veterinarians are raising red flags: “Overall, it’s a very bad idea.”
Inner turmoil: Mental health professionals and educators say Pixar’s “Inside Out” movies are offering a tool to help children and parents better understand themselves.
From roar to whisper: “TERF,” a play about J.K. Rowling and her views on transgender women, provoked months of outrage and scrutiny. Then it opened.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A skateboarder wearing a helmet in training at the Paris Games.

The 11-year-old Chinese skateboarder Zheng Haohao. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times

Is China’s quest for gold shifting gears?

Zheng Haohao, also known by her nickname Lilibet, is an 11-year-old skateboarder and the youngest athlete at the Paris Games. She may also represent the future of Chinese Olympic stars.

For decades, the country has harnessed tens of thousands of small children in hopes of forging a tiny fraction of them into Olympic champions. But Lilibet grew up in the insurgent sport of skateboarding and largely outside the state’s full embrace. Her carefree attitude has prompted questions of whether it’s worth pushing Chinese athletes so hard for national glory.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Four blocks of tofu are covered in a red sauce and garnished with slices of spring onion on a white dish with a spoon.

David Malosh for The New York Times

Make: Silken tofu, chilled and draped in gochujang sauce, is an epiphany.

Exercise: As fitness advice goes, “engage your core" is vague. This what it actually means, and how to do it.

Read: “All That Glitters” is a portrait of extravagance and fraud in the art market.

Listen: A lead singer cuing up a guitarist is a timeless rock ‘n’ roll staple. Here are nine of the best.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Justin

P.S. The Times reported a 13.6 percent jump in profit in the last quarter.

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: