With recent outbreaks of street violence across the country, it feels like England is on the brink of a serious breakdown of public order.

Fuelled by the pernicious influence of Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson and the rhetoric of certain Conservative Party politicians, a real panic spread in the face of mostly young men intent on inflicting serious harm on migrants.

The government’s swift response – deploying enough police officers, identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators, and publishing some high-profile verdicts – was met with widespread approval. But there was considerable unease in Lincoln when rumors emerged on social media that the offices of a law firm representing migrants would be targeted in further action.

Community triumphs over street violence

Lincolnshire Police were quick to put an end to this idea by clarifying that there was no such business at the address being circulated. Speculation then suggested that the mosque in Lincoln would be the target. It seemed a plausible threat. Lincolnshire was strongly supportive of Brexit, with the issue of migrant workers and the recent housing of asylum seekers in Skegness and possibly at RAF Scampton base causing enormous local resentment, so it was important to ensure that what had happened was witnessed. I went.

When I arrived, there was a small crowd of about 70 to 80 people outside the mosque. It consisted of members of the city’s Muslim community and ordinary citizens. Police were also visible, but not in large numbers. An ice cream truck and a burger stand were parked and doing good business. There were no signs of any kind of threat.

Salman from the mosque greeted me. He thanked me for coming. I asked him how he had reacted to the large turnout. He spoke very appreciatively of the way the community had shown its support. He was joined by Tahrir, another member of the mosque community. Both men were pleased with the police response and felt that the government had reacted quickly and correctly in identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators of violence in Southport, Sunderland, Tamworth and elsewhere.

Division rejected

I spoke to Gavyn Graham, a UNISON official who played a key role in organising the support at the mosque. He is well known in Lincoln for his efforts to promote community cohesion by opposing forms of bigotry and social division. He was pleased with the turnout, particularly as everything had to be done at short notice, and said it showed the strength of the community and its rejection of those who promote division.

I asked him what he thought of the government’s response. He was not very flattering, saying that they had not made any meaningful statement about the departure from the austerity programme of the last government, which he thought was at the heart of the discontent, and that they were therefore not really responsible for bringing the situation under control.

I spoke to Ali, who had moved to Lincoln from east London. I wondered if he had noticed a difference in attitudes between the multiracial community he had left and Lincoln, where over 90% of the population is white British. He said he had found Lincoln a friendly place, but his work commitments had made it difficult for him to fully integrate. Finally, I spoke to a couple of the police officers on duty. They did not want to say too much, but were obviously pleased that any threats appeared to be unfounded. I asked if they thought the violence had reached its peak. They believed the speed with which perpetrators were appearing in court was having a deterrent effect, but it was not possible to say whether there would be further incidents.

Tea and empathy

When I finished my conversations, I was sure that nothing untoward would happen and that law and order would be maintained. In fact, it almost felt like a social community event. Groups stood around and chatted amiably. A few boys juggled a football. The members of the mosque congregation served tea.

It was already getting dark in the sky and you could clearly see a crescent moon – the symbol of Islam. That seemed quite fitting.

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