Mobilisation of up to four thousand antifascists sees off far right.
On Saturday thousands of antiracists & antifascists were out on the streets of Glasgow opposing the ‘Unite the Clans’ event that saw Hitler salutes, bottles thrown and fascist and white supremacist groups front and centre.
It’s a sign that there is absolutely no room for complacency & that the far right are still trying to worm their way into communities across Britain. It’s worth noting that a Reform UK councillor spoke alongside the fascist thugs leading the far right Glasgow rally.
Nigel Farage and Reform UK may be on the back foot, but unless the new government breaks with Starmer & Mahmood’s policy of scapegoating refugees & migrants – Reform and the likes of Restore Britain can continue to grow.
The best way to break Farage’s momentum is to unmask the corruption and graft at the heart of Reform and expose what they really stand for, money for the wealthy and scapegoating & racism used to divide the rest of us.
We can stop the far right on the streets like in Glasgow and at the ballot box like in the election for Greater Manchester’s mayor and the Clacton by-election.
But to do that we need antiracist organisation everywhere that’s prepared to mobilise the majority against the far right and to expose them for what they really are in front of those they are trying to win over.
Manchester Mayor Election
Greater Manchester campaigners step up pressure on Reform
Anti-racists across Greater Manchester stepped up their campaign against Reform with a series of energetic leafleting sessions that won a warm response from local people.
Campaigners outside Eccles Mosque reported strong support for the message to use both votes to stop Reform, with many welcoming the campaign.
There was a similarly enthusiastic reception outside Madina Mosque in Levenshulme. Activists handed out more than 100 leaflets, with many people stopping to talk and thank campaigners for taking on Reform’s racism. The session also brought a new activist into the campaign.
In Salford, campaigners at Salford Crescent found plenty of support, with commuters keen to take leaflets. One woman took a bundle to distribute among friends and family, helping spread the message even further.
Meanwhile, in Wigan, 15 campaigners took to the streets urging people to use both their votes against racist Reform in the Greater Manchester mayoral election. Around 200 leaflets were distributed, two new contacts were made and one passer-by joined in with the leafleting on the spot. Despite threats of local far-right activity, there was no sign of any organised racist presence.
The day showed that where anti-racists get organised, they can challenge Reform’s poisonous politics, win support and draw new people into the movement.
Counter Protests
Taunton
Antifascists from Yeovil, Exeter and Bristol attended the counter demo to Paul Golding in Taunton.
Eighty far right were easily outnumbered by 250 antiracists.
When far right appeared there was a surge towards them and a lot of chanting. We had loads of SUTR placards that gave the counter demo a different feel. Golding did not turn up.
Bournmouth
25 anti racists versus 15 far right at the Roundhouse in Bournemouth this evening on the one year anniversary.
Dover
About 25 on the counter-demo in Dover today. We managed to out shout the 60 or so Far Right. A good outcome, but we’ll need more next time.
Other Activities
Clacton
Thanks to all who campaigned in Clacton with SUTR on Sunday
There was a real mix of those that oppose Farage (we got details of some really brilliant people) Reform voters who didn’t want to talk and those that certainly did!
Worryingly there was a small minority who talked about Restore Britain and Advance UK as being the alternative to Farage.
SUTR campaigners did really well engaging people.
Newcastle
The WAFR banner at Pride March a wonderful lively inclusive and confident response to all the hate.
Christine Jackson from Unison made a really moving inspiring speech, promoting solidarity and standing together against the hate ❤️✊🏽✊🏻
20 activists from NEU/UNISON/PCS/UCU and other groups met tonight at the Newcastle Civic Centre.
We agreed to organise a North East region Unity Demo in Newcastle on 24 Oct. The meeting was jointly hosted by SUTRNE, NE Women Against the Far Right and Newcastle city UNISON and chaired by Newcastle City UNISON branch secretary Christine Jackson.
We plan a demo through the city ending with a rally at the iconic Gray’s Monument and an anti racist gig in the evening. Early stages and our next meeting will be Thurs 30 July again hosted and chaired by Newcastle UNISON at the Civic Centre.
Oxford
Oxford Stand Up To Racism hosted a packed screening of the award-winning independent documentary “Everybody to Kenmure Street”.
The film shows the remarkable resistance of one Glasgow district to the attempted abduction of two of their neighbours by the Home Office Immigration force in 2021.
Would your local SUTR group like to hold a film showing of Everybody to Kenmure Street?
👉🏿 Register here: https://forms.gle/StfSqfnX5DSQEyhf6
The film by Felipe Bustos Sierra tells the story of how residents in Glasgow on 13 May 2021 stopped a Home Office immigration raid and the detention of two neighbours through mass collective action.
Local SUTR groups who have already held film showings can testify to the power of the film and its relevance to the challenges we face building and deepening a mass anti racist movement in towns and cities this summer/ autumn. It is “the shot in the arm we all needed”, to quote some of those who recently held the film showing in their area.
We have an arrangement with Conic Films, the producers, and can arrange for local groups to hold showings (reduced solidarity fee of £50)
Workers Against the Far Right
GM Workers Against the Far Right is asking all anti-racists to leaflet and campaign their workmates, to use their 2 votes in the GM Mayoral Election on Thursday.
Workers can play a key role in pushing back the Far Right.
We must oppose the racist scapegoating and lies of Reform UK.
We have shown in Makerfield and in Gorton & Denton, that anti-racist campaigning in elections can help prevent Reform from winning.
Having a Reform GM Mayor will have a huge negative impact on all our lives and workplaces.
Please help with leafleting your workplace in Greater Manchester.
Contact us if you need materials.
The Mayoral Election will use the Supplementary Voting System
You will have TWO choices for the Greater Manchester Mayor
USE BOTH YOUR VOTES TO STOP RACIST REFORM image omitted
GM Mayoral Election: Trade Union Day of Action called by Workers Against the Far right.
Use your 2 votes to STOP Reform
‼️Stall and Leafleting MRI Hospital health workers
⏱️6.45am-8am
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍Upper Brook street Back Entrance, opposite Esso Petrol station
‼️Leafleting Salford City Council workers
⏱️8am -8.45am
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍Unity House
Chorley Road, Swinton
Manchester M27 5AW
‼️Leafleting Manchester City Council Workers
⏱️7:45-9:00
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍Albert Square, Manchester M2 5DB
‼️Leafleting Health workers at Royal Albert Hospital, Wigan
⏱️7am
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍Outside the Bellingham hotel
🛣️ Royal Albert Hospital Wigan Ln, Wigan WN1 2NN
‼️Leafleting Housing workers, Stockport
⏱️12.30pm
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍Stockport Homes Offices, Cornerstone, 2 Edward St, Stockport SK1 3NQ
‼️Leafleting health workers North Manchester General Hospital
⏱️7am-8 30am
📅Wednesday 29th July
📍 Junction of Delaunays Rd and Central Drive, M8 5RB
If you want leaflets for your own workplace, or others not listed, please DM.
Monitoring Group Report
Reform opens the door—the anti-racist movement must close it
The past week has shown both the danger posed by Reform UK and the growing confidence of the anti-racist movement.
Reform claims to be a respectable electoral party. But its relentless scapegoating of migrants and refugees creates the political climate in which the organised far right feels able to mobilise. The violence seen in Glasgow and the continued attempts by fascist groups to organise elsewhere are not separate from Reform’s rise—they are encouraged by it.
In Glasgow, thousands mobilised to deny the far right the streets. Despite serious questions over Police Scotland’s handling of the demonstration, fascists failed to establish the breakthrough they wanted because they were confronted by a broad anti-racist mobilisation.
That lesson is being taken forward elsewhere. Trade unionists in Newcastle have begun building for a regional unity demonstration in October, bringing together unions and community organisations around a simple principle—that racism is defeated by collective action, not by leaving the far right unchallenged.
The same politics lies behind the campaign in Greater Manchester to stop Reform in the mayoral election. Campaigners have found that people are receptive when the arguments are made. Leafleting outside mosques, in town centres and transport hubs has produced new activists, wider support and a growing confidence that Reform can be beaten politically as well as on the streets.
Crucially, Workers Against the Far Right is taking the campaign into workplaces. Hospitals, council offices and other unionised workplaces are not just places to distribute leaflets—they are where workers can organise collectively against attempts to divide them. The labour movement has always been at its strongest when it refuses to allow racism to poison solidarity.
Events elsewhere reinforce the same point. Anti-racists in Bournemouth and Dover ensured the far right did not go unanswered, while campaigners in Clacton continue to challenge Nigel Farage’s attempt to turn discontent into support for Reform. But the emergence of smaller fascist organisations seeking to outflank Reform is a warning. Defeating one organisation alone will not end the threat if the racist politics that feeds it remains unchallenged.
The argument that Labour can simply “out-Reform Reform” by adopting tougher immigration rhetoric is politically bankrupt. Every concession to racist scapegoating legitimises the ideas of the right and shifts political debate further in its direction. History shows that the far right is weakened not when mainstream politicians echo its arguments, but when racism is confronted politically and physically by a broad united movement.
That means combining electoral campaigning against Reform with workplace organisation, community campaigning and mass counter-mobilisations whenever the far right attempts to organise. The experience of recent weeks shows these are not separate tasks but different fronts in the same struggle.
The anti-racist movement has the opportunity to seize the initiative. Reform’s growth is not inevitable. When trade unionists, anti-racists and local communities organise together, they expose Reform’s attempt to divide working-class people and offer a politics based on solidarity instead of scapegoating. That is the strategy capable of defeating both Reform and the fascists who hope to grow in its shadow.
Forthcoming Events
