Come From Away U.K. sending positive reminder during anti-immigration riots

The message of Come From Away prevails in the United Kingdom, where anti-immigration riots sweep the nation.

Producers on Wednesday cancelled a Newcastle show a musical about welcoming people from elsewhere, based on the experience of the central Newfoundland town of Gander in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks to ensure audience safety.

John Brant, the producer of Come From Away U.K., said anti-immigration protests were planned for the area. It was unlikely the protests would affect the safety of the show's performance, but they didn't want to risksafety after the show was over.

Rioters spouting anti-immigrant slogans have attacked mosques and hotels housing asylum-seekers, with reports emerging of violent counter-attacks in some communities.

"There was no immediate danger at the time of entry to the theatre. We were worried about how patrons and cast and crew and people who worked at the theatre were going to feel about getting home," Brant told CBC News.

He says cancelling the show was a difficult decision. He didn't want to give hate more power.

"There's a part of you, especially with this show that feels like, 'no, we wanna put this show on because of its message,'" Brant said. "We don't wanna not give in to that hard line. But at the end of the day, you have to consider safety."

Come From Away hit Broadway in 2017. Brant said the show which tells the story of passengers whose planes were diverted when American airspace suddenly closed, and the Newfoundlanders who cared for them for several anxious days depicts humanity at its best.

"Sadly, over the last few years we've seen humanity at its worst, at its most divisive. I think that's not the majority," he said.

That's a vocal minority in my belief, and I think that Come from Away speaks to the goodness of the majority of people."

He used the actions of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador following 9/11 as an example.

"The people from Newfoundland on that day when people needed looking after, their instinct was to protect, not reject," he said.

Anti-racism campaigners filled streets across the U.K.on Wednesday, and police put on a massive show of force during counter-protests, largely stifling a threatened wave of far-right demonstrations.

"The show of force from the police and, frankly, the show of unity from communities together defeated the challenges that we faced," Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, said Thursday.

"It went off very peacefully last night, and the fears of extreme right disorder were abated."

With upcoming shows in Newcastle and Bristol, Brant isn't planning to cancel any more shows.

"I hope I'm not tempting fate here, but it feels like there was a turning point on Wednesday. There was a turning point in how people turned out with the message of acceptance," he said. "That's why the message of Come From Away resonates so loudly.

"We are years in and yet still this message is so relevant," Brant said.

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