The results in Manchester show once again that Reform’s momentum has stalled and the ongoing series of revelations about Farage and his party’s funding show no sign of ending.
Reform were hit both by the Burnham bounce & the deluge of sleaze that has seen Farage’s approval ratings nosedive.
Next weeks Clacton by-election could see further embarrassments for Farage, despite Reform canvassers being diverted from Manchester to bale him out.
And despite the low (25%) turnout in Manchester Restore Britains on 9% of the vote have come out of the election on the front foot – calling for a pact with Farage, that – as desperate as he is – he has not rejected.
Any co-operation between these two party’s could be around Restore’s agenda, mass deportations and the like. Restore clearly have assorted fascists on the campaign trail from them, and co-operation between Reform & Restore would be another lurch to the right.
Reform’s rise has been fuelled by the scapegoating of refugees and migrants. They have found legitimacy through the scapegoating rhetoric of mainstream politicians and the media.
That’s why it’s frustrating to see Andy Burnham leave Mahmood as Home Secretary and take the ritual trip to the coast to say that Labour can ‘stop the boats’.
What ordinary people need is hope, not more of the same script that failed for Starmer.
If you want to see Farage and Reform on the back foot for good cut off the fuel that’s fired them this far.
We need to explain that refugees and migrants are not to blame for our problems and that it’s grifters like Farage, Tice and ‘Posh George’ who are the real enemy.
SUTR Protests
Clacton
Well done to everyone out campaigning against Farage in Clacton today. 🔥
Lots of people pleased SUTR was there ✊
Manchester
❌ Reform UK have lost again.
We are proud of the role Greater Manchester Stand Up to Racism played in making this happen. Over four weeks local activists have given out over 30,000 leaflets and had hundreds of conversations.
But this election shows the far right threat remains huge. Restore Britain, who are associated with fascists and Nazis, saw their vote rise to nearly 50,000. The combined far right vote is a threat to us all.
⬇️ Read our statement
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbfrk_TiGbb
Scotland
“At SUTR Scotland we extend our full solidarity and support to human rights lawyer @aameranwar. No matter how desperately Reform UK try to twist the narrative – the only thing that is really ‘abhorrent’ is the way in which Thomas Kerr, Malcolm Offord and Nigel Farage remain silent on the fact that Reform councillor Audrey Dempsey was amongst the speakers at the fascist-led riot in Glasgow Green on despite widespread public condemnation.
Dempsey addressed a crowd of Nazi-saluting masked thugs, stood next to banners of the neonazi group Patriotic Alternative and posed for a photo with Mark Donald who only a few months ago was documented harassing a woman activist, calling her ‘Jewish cow’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DbY59Wujd7D9YVjzc9brQpSZf9CY12ykmd7FS00/?img_index=1
Newcastle
Great second organising meeting to build Unity demo in Newcastle on 24 Oct.
Delegations from FBU/NEU/UCU/UNISON, Green councillor, YP activist etc, 21 in room and lots of basic organisation sorted to hit the ground running when the university come back in Sept.
Bradford
The Race Equality Network and Bradford Together have been leafleting at the Bradford Mela today.
The response has been fantastic. A big thank you to the Race Equality Network for booking the stall and making it possible. Solidarity!
Crowbourough
Another amazing silent protest today!
Standing strong with George and everyone showing that Crowborough Says Yes to migrants. Proud to stand together in support of SAMAS. ✊🏼🌈
If you’re coming along next time, please bring a donation for SAMAS if you can—every contribution helps.
Interested in joining us? We’re there every Sunday from 11:00am–12:00pm at Crowborough Piazza. Everyone is welcome.
Wakefield
About 40 far right marched in Wakefield on Saturday.
Called by Pink Ladies and Churchill’s Angels. Less than 10 in pink, some from Teeside and Lancashire. Mainly middle aged men. Lots of Auditors. About 25 -30 SUTR leafletted and had a stall. Good response from the public
Portsmouth
Portsmouth celebrates multiculturalism whilst the fascists falter.
We had a significant weekend in Portsmouth. A fusion of celebrating multiculturalism in Portsmouth and facing down the Rent-a-Reich fascists of Hampshire Resistance in Gosport.
In Portsmouth, we had the wonderful Cultural Festival, where SUTR had a well-attended stall. We had a magnificent response from everyone there. I wish to extend my warmest congratulations to everyone who organised it. This was a wonderful example of how multiculturalism enriches our lives. So hats off to the organisers for putting on an event that was fun and culturally enriching!
The local numpties of the Portsmouth Patriots decided to have an “anti-grooming” women and children march, although some people say there seemed to be men as well. We decided against doing a counter-protest as we concluded it would be small and it was more important to engage with the anti-racist majority supporting the cultural event in Victoria Park.
Their march attracted at most 25 people and was accompanied by some extremely confusing placards, like “Stop Rape Shops”, which I think might mean that they think Vape shops groom children, although I don’t really know. They ended at Canoe Lake, where they had a small rally.
It seems that the collapse of Reform’s support is undermining their attempts at mobilisation.
Gosport
Attempts to capitalise on anti-muslim sentiment to block an Islamic prayer centre in Gosport do not seem to have had any mobilising effect in Gosport.
They managed to mobilise around 60 people, whereas we had at least a hundred. We mobilised overwhelmingly from Gosport, whereas they came from places like Suffolk. They also had the backing of March for England, which a few years ago used to mobilise 100s onto the streets of Brighton for the St George’s Day weekend.
This was a washout for them, and practically all of them came from elsewhere.
I think particular praise is due to Graham and all at Gosport Together for the sterling work they have done to build solidarity in the Gosport Community with positive campaigning.
What was significant was the comparison between the boorish behaviour of the racists and the fact that we responded with the culture of celebrating diversity and multiculturalism.
Plymouth
Anti racists oppose a derisory turn out by the far right.
Leyton
All Together Now!
A wonderful all day Anti racism festival Saturday in Leyton east London.It carried on until the night time with poet, performers and bands.
👠👟brought to you by two left feet and Leytonstone Against Racism🔥🔥❤️🎉
@leytonstone_against_racism @twoleftfeetldn @tilburyyard @sutrwalthamforest
Monitoring Group Report
This week’s campaigning shows both the strengths of the anti-racist movement and the dangers that remain. Reform UK has suffered another electoral setback, but the wider racist right continues to reorganise. Electoral reverses alone will not defeat racism. Only sustained organisation in our communities, workplaces and trade unions can do that.
Clacton: challenging Farage
Stand Up To Racism campaigners were back in Clacton this weekend taking the argument directly to Nigel Farage’s supporters. Activists reported a warm response, with many local people welcoming an organised anti-racist presence on the streets.
The campaign followed another Reform defeat. Greater Manchester Stand Up To Racism highlighted the role played by activists who distributed more than 30,000 leaflets and held hundreds of conversations during the campaign.
But there is no room for complacency. Restore Britain, whose events have repeatedly attracted fascists and neo-Nazis, significantly increased its vote. The combined vote of the racist right approached 50,000.
Glasgow: the mask slips
The political consequences of the Unite the Clans mobilisation in Glasgow continue to unfold—and they have exposed exactly who was on the streets.
Stand Up To Racism Scotland has given its full backing to human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar after Reform deputy leader Thomas Kerr reported him to Police Scotland over comments condemning the far-right violence. The attempt to criminalise anti-racist speech has only drawn greater attention to the character of the Glasgow mobilisation.
Reform councillor Audrey Dempsey has come under sustained criticism after addressing the Unite the Clans rally despite the presence of Nazi salutes, Patriotic Alternative banners and former Homeland Party speakers. She has continued to deny seeing any neo-Nazis despite overwhelming photographic and video evidence.
Even more damaging has been the growing identification of those involved.
People like John Watt, a prominent far-right organiser whose convictions for domestic abuse have been widely reported. Watt attempted to organise an “after-party” linked to the Unite the Clans mobilisation before the venue cancelled the event following public pressure.
Far from being a spontaneous gathering of “concerned local residents”, Glasgow Green brought together organised fascists, violent extremists and individuals with serious criminal histories. The more details emerge, the harder it becomes for Reform to maintain the fiction that these were simply ordinary people expressing legitimate concerns.
The silence of Nigel Farage, Thomas Kerr and Malcolm Offord over these revelations is politically significant. Rather than condemning Reform representatives for sharing platforms with fascists, they have chosen to attack those exposing them.
Building unity
Across Britain, anti-racists continued to organise.
Newcastle took another important step towards the North East Unity demonstration on 24 October, with trade unionists from the FBU, NEU, UCU and UNISON joining community campaigners to begin building a major regional mobilisation.
Bradford activists from the Race Equality Network and Bradford Together reported an excellent response while campaigning at the Bradford Mela, demonstrating once again that anti-racist arguments win support when taken confidently into our communities.
Crowborough’s weekly solidarity protest continued to show determined support for refugees and for the work of SAMAS.
Wakefield demonstrated the importance of confronting the far right wherever it attempts to organise. Around 40 supporters linked to Pink Ladies and Churchill’s Angels assembled, but around 30 Stand Up To Racism activists leafleted nearby and reported a positive response from the public.
Forthcoming Events
