Unity demos show the forces that can confront the far right
Hundreds of anti-racists took to the streets across Britain this weekend in a series of Unity demonstrations and counter-protests.
From Manchester, Sheffield and Hull to Sutton and Hastings, the protests showed the potential to build a broad movement that brings together trade unionists, community organisations, Palestine campaigners and others against racism and the far right.
In Manchester, hundreds marched through the city centre. Organisers reported up to 800 people during the day. Trade unionists, community activists and anti-racists marched together through the city.
Around 500 anti-racists and anti-fascists mobilised in Sheffield, where around 100 people joined the far-right protest. In Hull around 150 joined the Unity March.
More than 200 marched in Sutton, in what organisers described as the largest anti-fascist demonstration the area has seen. Sutton Stand Up To Racism and Sutton Friends of Palestine brought together trade unionists, members of the local mosque, Women Against the Far Right, Greens and a delegation of ICR workers who had recently won a strike.
People shopping on the high street joined the march as it passed. Anti-racists from Epsom and Ewell, Merton and elsewhere in south London also came to support it.
And between 300 and 400 people joined the first Hastings Unity Parade, combining marching, music and poetry.
These demonstrations are part of an attempt to build anti-racist organisation deeper into local communities rather than simply responding whenever the far right announces another protest. A Unity event in Chingford brought together music and politics alongside stalls from Palestine Solidarity, Leytonstone Against Racism, Bookmarks, Age UK and SUTR. It raised more than £200 and organisers reported making new contacts for the local campaign.
There were also signs of pressure working against established far-right networks. In Crowborough, anti-racists reported that they outnumbered and outlasted the racist protest for the first time and were able to occupy the piazza again. The far-right turnout was reported as its lowest yet following the departure of one of the local protest leaders.
In Scotland the gap was sharper. Around 150 anti-racists gathered in Edinburgh, while Unite the Clans failed to appear. The organisation has recently circulated material openly praising National Socialism and repeating antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jewish control of politics, banking and immigration, according to material documented by anti-racist organisers.
In Aberdeen only about 20 Unite the Clans supporters appeared, against around 50 anti-fascists. Organisers said roughly half the far-right contingent had travelled from outside Aberdeen.
But none of this means that the danger from the far right is simply disappearing. Camden is one of the places where a different attempt to reorganise the right is being tested.
Restore Britain is contesting the Holborn and St Pancras by-election with Tyler Johnson as its candidate. SUTR investigations have identified figures involved in Johnson’s campaign who have backgrounds in organisations including the BNP and Homeland, alongside documented racist and antisemitic statements. Restore Britain presents itself as an electoral political organisation; anti-fascist organisers argue that the presence of these harder networks shows a struggle over the direction in which it is developing.
For the second Saturday running, SUTR confronted Restore’s campaigning operation in Camden. On 26 September, up to 20 Restore Britain supporters, including Johnson, assembled to campaign. Around 40 SUTR supporters opposed them.
The street movement around Daniel Thomas—“Danny Tommo” provides another side of the same changing picture.
Thomas, the founder of Patriot Platform, was arrested following an incident in the Channel on 22 September in which he is alleged to have slashed an inflatable boat while an emergency responder was aboard. He has been charged with criminal damage and with failing to disclose the PIN to his phone under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
His arrest produced a significant mobilisation at the police investigation centre in Basingstoke on Thursday 24 September. About 200 supporters, many dressed in black, who gathered chanting “Free DT”. Tommy Robinson—Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—promoted the mobilisation online and attended Thomas’s court hearing the following day.
The Basingstoke turnout shows that Patriot Platform has acquired the ability to mobilise beyond a tiny activist core at short notice.But will it survive if Tommo is convicted?
Local Activity
Chingford Unity Festival: Music, Culture and Resistance!
Over 40 people joined us in Chingford on 12 July for Waltham Forest Stand Up To Racism’s second Unity event in the area.
It was an afternoon of *music, politics, culture and community organising, with a lively panel on the role of music and culture in building anti-racist and anti-fascist movements. Speakers included Katie Alexander, former Anti-Nazi League organiser, Roger Huddle, founding member of Rock Against Racism, and Zak Cochrane from Love Music Hate Racism.
Families got involved in art activities to help create a new Chingford anti-racist banner, while 1950s rock ’n’ roll from Bandit had everyone dancing!
Local groups including Age UK’s ‘You are loved and wanted.’ campaign, Palestine Solidarity, Leytonstone Against Racism, Bookmarks and SUTR joined us with stalls.
£200+ was raised, and we made new contacts with people keen to build a local anti-racist campaign. With the far right trying to divide our communities, the day showed the importance of *coming together, building solidarity and fighting back.
Unity Demos and Counters
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is antifascist and Nazi free this weekend. Openly fascist group ‘Unite the Clans’ and their boot licking adherents are running scared as they failed to show as 150 antiracists joined our Unity Rally outside St Giles in Edinburgh on Saturday!
Earlier, this week to no surprise Unite the Clans were openly promoting National Socialism, praising Nazi ideology and presenting it as a model for Scotland’s future.
The antisemitism is equally explicit. Unite the Clans portrays Jewish people as a hidden power controlling banks, the media and politics, “pulling the strings of nations” and deliberately engineering mass immigration to destroy national identity. It claims Jews fought National Socialism because it threatened their power. This is not coded language or insinuation. It is the same poisonous antisemitic conspiracy politics that sits at the heart of Nazi ideology.
Unite the Clans has spent months attempting to portray itself as a movement of ordinary people with legitimate concerns about immigration and women’s safety. That pretence has now collapsed. When a movement tells you that National Socialism is its “heritage” and its “future”, we should take it seriously.
The history of fascism teaches us what happens when organised racism and antisemitism are normalised, excused or treated as somebody else’s problem. Nazi Germany persecuted and murdered millions. Six million European Jews were systematically murdered in the Holocaust, while Roma, disabled people, LGBT+ people, political opponents and many others were also subjected to brutal persecution and murder.
“Never Again” cannot simply be something we say about the past. It means confronting antisemitism, racism and fascism when they organise in our communities today.
We celebrated our victory and vowed that Edinburgh welcomes refugees, no-one is illegal and we won’t let the fascists divide us!
A big thanks to all our speakers and Cabaret Against the Hate Speech for providing sound and music. Thank you to Falkirk For All for supporting us.
Aberdeen
Unite the Clans gamble to ‘harden up’ and rejuvenate their racist project by openly promoting National Socialism ideology has backfired, badly. Their numbers were in decline anyway, but today only 20 Nazis turned up to protest in their home turf of Aberdeen.
It was a pathetic turnout even by their own standards and looks like their Klan is in terminal decline. They claim to represent the majority, but today’s photos of their hate protest say otherwise. Ordinary people do not want to have anything to do with their racist extremist views and worship of fascist ideology.
Only about half of them were actually from Aberdeen, the rest scraped up from Peterhead, Perth and one or two from Glasgow way. They were opposed by about fifty local antifascists who mostly stood with their backs to them and ignored them whilst they screeched racist filth down a megaphone. They tried to intimidate antifascists by coming over towards the counter protest. After only an hour, even they were bored with their antics and so they wandered off in the drizzle to cheerful jeers from the counter protest.
The counter protest was organised by the Aberdeen Anti-Fascist Alliance and Aberdeen Trades Union Council, supported by Aberdeen SUTR.
Wakefield
Manchester
A big thank you to all of you who turned out today. This was truly like what Manchester looks like!
Up to 800 people went away from a positive day for all those who want to live in a city of hope, unity and respect and see the importance of challenging the growing threat of the far right in the UK,as well as across the world.
Hull
Sheffield
About 500 antiracists and antifascists saw off around 100 far right.
Dudley
Although UKIP had around 200, our presence made a real difference. We believe that organising a counter-demonstration helped ensure that the far right abandoned its original intention to march through the town.
Had that gone ahead, it could have been intimidating for people from all backgrounds. By coming together, we helped make it clear that racism would be challenged.
Our central location gave us great visibility and plenty of opportunities to engage with passers-by. Many interactions were positive, and we also had some lengthy, civil conversations with people who initially disagreed with us. While changing minds takes time, these conversations were valuable and showed the importance of being visible, accessible and willing to engage.
We can all be proud of what we achieved today. We stood together, challenged the far right and showed that local people are prepared to organise against racism and division.
A huge well done and thank you to everyone who came along and supported us. Every single person made a difference, and today’s demonstration showed why standing together against the far right matters.
Shrewsbury Pride
A massive thank you to everyone who supported the stall and helped make it such a success. It was great to speak with so many people from the local community about our anti-racism work and to receive such positive responses.
We made some great new connections, grew our membership which helps to build stronger links in the community. A big thank you to everyone who handed out flyers and stickers, spoke to people and helped spread the word. Every conversation matters and it will truly make a difference.
Anti-racism and anti-fascism belong alongside Pride because we are fighting for the same thing: communities where everyone can live openly, safely and equally. The far right targets people because of who they are, where they come from or who they love, and tries to divide us against each other. That’s why standing together matters. It’s the same fight, and we’re stronger when we fight it together! Solidarity in action.
Leigh
Four of us leafletted at the Man Utd v Sheffield womens football in Leigh this week to advertise our SUTR Together event in Manchester on Saturday. Wow! Nearly all the leaflets went. Not one negative comment. Some great convos. Our message of unity was clearly welcomed. It was great to be there.
Central London
Tommy Robinson spoke at a poorly attended “anti-grooming” rally in London today.
Acton
Last week we put on a showing of everyone to Kenmure & Q&A in Acton West London, in our local independent cinema. We had 40 in the room. Lots of people stayed for Q&A with Amer Anwar, the human rights lawyer ft in the film. He was brilliant in the Q&A.
Good discussion about police role, new far right & our upcoming unity demo. We ran an SUTR stall before and after the film lots of signs ups, sold some badges. We got PSC to run a stall next to ours and a couple people from the group called Lib Dems for Palestinian came and we chatted to them both about being on our steering committee.
Lewisham Council
Hundreds protesting outside Lewisham Council tonight about the Lewisham Shopping Centre.
We gave out hundreds of our SUTR leaflets. People were very enthusiastic about coming to the SUTR gig and demo.
The Lewisham Shopping Centre campaign is protesting about the council’s deals with developers. The housing will be unaffordable for most local people.
We want our new Green council to rethink the plans..the campaign has real traction and was well attended tonight.
Sutton
Final count for Sutton was over 200
Largest anti fascist demo in Sutton’s history.
Sutton SUTR and Sutton Friends of Palestine worked together to bring the community together against the far right with many different local organisations represented, including a delegation of ICR workers who’ve just won their strike, the local mosque, Green Party, UNISON & NEU members, WAFR and many more, with 200 on the high street (the biggest anti fascist demo in Sutton’s history).
Some of us from other south London SUTR groups went along to help and it was great to see a delegation from the newer Epsom & Ewell SUTR, as well as Merton SUTR. People doing their shopping also joined in as we marched through the high street which was wonderful and the reception was so positive.
There’s a big and urgent task to build and strengthen our anti-racist forces in every town and city, and Sutton did an amazing job. Lots more sign ups for the local group by the end. It was especially important given that Danny Tommo and his Carshalton-based sidekick & flagger, Billy Cooper, are actively building Patriot Platform there and are training in a nearby park and even have a base in a local church.
Sutton’s was the first of three local unity demos this autumn in South London.
Next week Croydon – October 3rd and then November 14th Lambeth&Southwark!
Camden
SUTR opposing Restore Britain in Camden on Saturday. The rapidly becoming fascist organisation is standing in the Holborn and St Pancras by election.
Crowborough
Important victory in Crowborough as we out number and outlast the racists for the first time and re-occupy the piazza.
Another huge thank you to the SUTR groups from Hastings , Eastbourne , Brighton, Peacehaven going above and beyond. I’m very grateful to have such a wonderful caring team and true solidarity.
Crowborough couldn’t have achieved these last 3 weeks without you .
Due to the recent step down of the protest leader the far right numbers were the lowest they have ever been this week Here’s hoping their group will cease to continue.
Hastings
🌟 Hastings you are incredible!🌟
“We haven’t got time to be pessimistic”
The incredible Salena Godden, local poet and author, gave an unforgettable performance of her poem Pessimism Is For Lightweights at our Unity Parade.
At times like these, it’s easy to fall into pessimism, thinking things are bleak and won’t get better. But yesterday showed us when we organise and show up we are the many and the far-right are the few.
Around 300 – 400 people came out for the inaugural Hastings Unity Parade.
We marched, we danced, we laughed, we listened. We were TOGETHER.
Organising together is how we win 🏆
Thank you to our fellow organisers and collaborators. And to our amazing speakers
Forthcoming Events
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