Protesters lash out at pro-Brexit campaign
Hundreds of people took to the streets of England and Scotland on Friday to protest against the tone of the pro-Brexit campaign.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of England and Scotland on Friday to protest against the tone of the pro-Brexit campaign.
Crowds marched through London to the headquarters of The Sun and The Times publisher News UK, as part of a rally against "anti-immigration politics".
Meanwhile, demonstrators gathered on the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow to show their support for migrants and protest against the "torrent of racism" they say was "unleashed" during the referendum campaign.
It comes after the UK backed leaving the European Union in Thursday's ballot, while Scotland opted to be part of the EU by 62% to 38%.
A crowd of Remain campaigners congregated outside the News Building near London Bridge station on Friday to protest against the stance taken by Rupert Murdoch's titles on Brexit.
The protest's organisers said the mainstream political parties and the mainstream media were responsible for a rise of "anti-immigrant politics".
The Sun - the UK's biggest selling daily - came out in support of Brexit a week before the referendum.
Although News Corp's other flagship paper, The Times, was pro-remain, The Sunday Times also supported quitting the EU.
Around 400 people marched from a park in Whitechapel, east London, arriving at the concourse between the Shard and the News Building just before 9pm.
They arrived with banners and a set of speakers shouting: "The enemy is profit".
Retired university lecturer Richard Kirkwood, 73, said: "It's absolutely central to oppose xenophobia and racism that's been raised by both sides in the referendum campaign and which is pulling out hidden hatreds all over the country."
Student Polly Butler, 22, said: "People should not buy into all the lies of either party and should have made an informed decision for themselves.
"Had they done so they would think about all the people, the beautiful people who live here and are very frightened about what we did today."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said officers were deployed to monitor the demonstration and no arrests were made.
In Edinburgh, protesters gathered outside the Scottish Parliament, where a number of speakers addressed the crowds at the open mic event. A similar demonstration took place in Glasgow's George Square.
The demonstrations took place just hours after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that a second vote on Scottish independence is "highly likely".
An online posting promoting the Edinburgh rally, under the heading "After the Referendum, Defend all Migrants," stated: "The EU referendum has unleashed a torrent of racism.
"Unabashed, unchecked racist and xenophobic hyperbole has dominated the entire campaign, with migration being defined as a 'problem', or 'crisis', with bigotry being stoked up against migrants, and with EU citizens living here being systematically denied a voice."
One of the speakers at the event, Willie Black, told Press Association Scotland: "I think what we're saying to the rest of Scotland is we have to be a beacon again for progressive politics.
"We're going to show on the streets of Edinburgh that people won't accept any kind of idea that people can be deported or chucked out of this country."