Image caption: 1,500-2,000 people turned out for the Bristol unity march against the far right on Saturday
Over 1,000 people packed in to join the launch of the Together Alliance last week in Hackney, East London.
There is enormous potential to build a mass movement against that far right in an initiative that has brought ‘Together’ the widest alliance seen in years.
Saturday’s day of action saw the ‘Together’ demo on Saturday 28 March, being built in towns and cities across Britain.
In Bristol between 1500-2000 people marched for unity against the far right.
That’s the hope – but the threat of the far right is still very real.
From the campaign team of ex Tories, racists & antisemitisim that is backing Reform UK in Gorton & Denton we can see what the future would be like with Nigel Farage in power.
And on the streets we saw fascists attempt to attack a Palestine solidarity meeting in Falkirk while the far right confronted and tried to intimidate refugee solidarity campaigners in Crowborough – and 500 marched on Sunday to target asylum seekers at the military camp in the town. In Poole the far right even targeted the RNLI – those volunteers who rescue people from death at sea – accusing them of running a ‘taxi service’ for migrants.
We have to mobilise the vast majority of people in Britain who oppose the far right – and undercut support for the right amongst those who might fall for their lies.
As we saw in Manchester with Jim Ratcliffe’s attack on migrants the only people who benefit from the racism and division are the fat cat tax dodgers who want to pass the blame for years of cuts and low pay on refugees and migrants and the poorest and most vulnerable.
On Tuesday 10th February London Together was launched with a huge rally of over a thousand people in Hackney. The Event was lead off by Hackney socialist MP Diane Abbott (see pic below).
Image caption: Diane Abbott MP kick off proceedings at the London launch of TOGETHER in Hackney
Image caption: A crowd of 1,000-plus packed out the venue for TOGETHER London launch
Image caption: Speakers at the TOGETHER London launch event in Hackney
Counter Demonstrations and Unity marches
Inverness
After outnumbering a fascist mobilisation 150:20 today, Inverness antifascists and antiracists in the city furthest away from London in Britain (850km!) pledge support for the TOGETHER demonstration on 28 March.
Newcastle
Around 300 anti-racists at SUTR-NE/Together against the far right demo in Newcastle today. Ended with a march of around 80-100 lead by Northumberland NEU banner to confront around 10 sad old nazis outside Newbridge Hotel occupied by asylum seekers and refugees.
Bristol
The Bristol Together United Against Racism protest took place on Valentine’s Day on College Green in front of the Council building. There were stalls from a variety of campaigns and face painting for the children.
Around 1500 marched through the City, overwhelmingly young, led by Women Against the Far Right, chanting all the way. Behind them, there was a 15 piece Samba band, courtesy of XR, around 10 Trade Union banners, including the Trades Council and large anti-racist banners, depicting the City’s 2 football clubs.
There was great support from the general public and the march swelled on route.
Speeches were interspersed with live music acts and poets. Speakers included Jeremy Corbyn, Carla Denyer (MP for Bristol Central), Fran Heathcote (PCS), NEU president, Ed Harlow, Care4Calais, STW, PSC, Kick Racism Out of Football among many more. There were regular plugs for March 28th and we put on around 20 bookings on the Day.
It all ended with a Ceilidh band and dancing round the Green!
Sunday
Twenty masked fascists drove to East Bristol in a van and a couple of cars and attempted to force their way into The Red Lion while a antifascist benefit gig was starting up.
SUTR has a public meeting planned for next week and a counter demo against the Bristol Patriots on March 7th. We hope that the many people who left their names at the SUTR stall will help us build a huge turn out for March 28th.
Bournemouth
Twenty anti racists at the Roundhouse Hotel tonight facing off about 12 maybe 15 max far right.
More like a farcical British sitcom about a group of patriotic “lads” who can never pull off any of their grandiose patriotic plans without arrests, without a liberal scattering of casual Islamophobia and conspiracy theory tropes, and without looking like a tragic remake of Dad’s Army meets Only Fools, all directed through the lens of a Carry On farce.
Poole
In a magnificent defence of this essential service activists defended the Poole RNLI There were about 130 antiracists to 50 racists.
Hailsham
Thanks and well done to the 20 people who joined the Sussex Women Against the Far Right counter protest today outside Wealden District Council offices in Hailsham, outnumbering the 10 far right ‘Pink Ladies’ protesters
Gorton and Denton by-election
Campaigning to stop Matt Goodwin the racist reform candidate in the bye election is gaining pace.. Across the constituency SUTR has been out with the ‘Use your vote to stop the racist Reform’ leaflet. With stalls at markets, door to door, out side the mosques, and at the primary school gates, and at the election hustings where Goodwin faced ‘hostility, and was booed.
Manchester United Against Racism
Outside the MUFC ground SUTR rallied with the message; United Against Racism. Kick Racist Ratcliffe out! Migrants Make Football great. Fans there joined and took selfies. Jeannie, a local life long United supporter said; As the daughter of Irish immigrants I know what colonialism is.
Over 73% of our team are born over seas. We are a united community, and we are against racism Ratcliffe out.’
Love Music Hate Racism Gigs
The first Stockport LMHR GIig sold all the tickets and was a big success. A 300 strong event in Stretford heard poets and band, displays, and a talk on the People’s History of Anti Nazi League.
Scotland
Edinburgh
Brilliant anti-racist meeting this evening. We have brought together different student societies to build for the Together March and fight the right on campus.
Around 26 people from various societies came together to have a fabulous conversation about pushing the Reform society off campus, how we can get people together for the Holyrood SUTR demonstration, and mobilising for the Together March.
We have agreed to all write and sign a letter stating our disagreement with Reform members being hosted on campus. After this meeting we were made aware of the place and time the Reform society was meeting on campus. We gathered members of these societies to join us in protesting outside the Gordon Aikman lecture theatre.
The reformers had an embarrassingly low turn out and many entered clearly embarrassed by our intervention.
North of England
Liverpool City
The Together Alliance had a fab campaign day in Liverpool this Valentines Day. About twenty of us gathered to promote the message of Love, Hope and Unity.
The people of Liverpool City Region rose to the occasion with overwhelmingly positive responses.
We gave out lots of leaflets, stickers and chocolate hearts and biscuits . We played some great music and the Beatles as always went down well. Importantly we had many conversations about the Together Alliance. We also got much interest and donations to our transport.
It’s safe to say the Together Alliance made a big splash in Liverpool today. Thanks everyone for your support.
All You Need Is Love!
Merseyside
Nottingham
Valentine’s stall in Nottingham with red roses offered to those that left names for our Nottingham SUTR mailing list- about 30 new contacts.
Chesterfield
Leafleting before kick off at Chesterfield FC….. 1-0 at half time #spireites #alltownarewe
Sheffield
Sheffield had stalls from SUTR and NEU Peoples Assembly, Trades Council WAFR and Unite.
We took £66 on SUTR stall.
Wakefield
About a dozen of us out in Wakefield today leafleting for March 28 demo Together Against the Far Right.
Midlands
Birmingham
Out in Birmingham today spreading the word of love and unity and building the Together Alliance demonstration!
Hull
Hull Together Alliance Against the Far Right stall and Hull Stand Up To Racism stall leafleting for the national march and publicising our transport.
Leicester
A fantastic mobilising meeting in Leicester today with representatives from PSC, City Retreat, Green Party, Your Party, SWP, Leicester Massive, Zimbabwe action groups, BFAWU, Unite the Community and more.
Our first coach is almost full already and we have a firm action plan in place to fill our second coach and bring the biggest delegation from Leicester that London has ever seen
London
Islington
Sunshine, reggae music and lots of support for Together today in Islington
Hackney
Very lively leafleting and postering session in Dalston on saturday
Wood Green
Activist gathered in Wood Green to leaflet for the 28th March
Tooting
The Together stall in Tooting today went well. A very high proportion of the public were taking leaflets, I would guess about 50 percent.
Highams Park
Really fun Valentines stall at Highams Park this afternoon. Very positive family responses, building March 28 and local meeting on 37 Feb.
Leytonstone
Support for 28 March on the Leytonstone School Picket Line this morning
Brixton
Today in Brixton we gave out more than 600 leaflets plus the Greens took hundreds with them for their canvassing.
Whitechapel
Met some people who were also interested in the Workers Against the Far Right conference next week so altogether we were well pleased.
Uxbridge
Outside Uxbridge station leafletting for 28th.
Hillingdon
In Hillingdon today. We stood strong despite the group of right wing locals right next to us.
South Of England
Crowborough
Yesterday a Stand Up to Racism stall in Crowborough which was trying to promote a message of solidarity with refugees and put out a message of compassion over hostility on Valentine’s day with leaflets, cakes and music was shut down by the far right.
The 25 people who joined to support the SUTR stall were very quickly surrounded by a flash mob of around 40 from the far right led Crowborough Says No group organised with megaphones and banners.
These so called champions of ‘free speech’ and ‘protectors of women’ shut down a peaceful stall, stole material from the stall, and intimidated women anti racist campaigners with foul abuse and threats, though anti racists bravely held out for an hour amid sustained abuse and pressure with heartening support from shocked passers by.
Thanks and solidarity to those anti racists who joined us that day and had to experience this – we have done a press release but this attack on exercising peacefully their democratic right to campaign exposes the far right leadership of the Crowborough Says No campaign for the racist thugs that they are.
And that they felt so empowered to do this is an indictment of local politicians like Sussex PCC Katy Bourne who has joined Crowborough Says No rallies and marches as well as national politicians who agree that far right led groups like Crowborough Says No represent ‘legitimate concerns’.
Eastbourne
Lovely afternoon in Eastbourne with 30 people coming out despite the pouring rain for our WAFR launch. Four excellent speakers spoke about women’s struggles throughout history from slavery through to the colour bar in the Uk and to today with Reform’s agenda of policing our bodies.
The Far Right agenda of weaponising Women and girls and classic racist scapegoating was also addressed. Tea and cake (so much cake!) and crafting – making welcome cards for refugees in Crowborough- and lots of new faces all made for a great event.
Eastbourne’s coming Together for 28th.
Weymouth
Weymouth Dorset – TOGETHER against the Far Right including 2 Green councillors
Monitoring Group Overview
This week saw the major launch of Together in Hackney, with speakers ranging from Diane Abbott to Zack Polanski, followed by the Together Day of Action, which saw activists out leafletting for 28 March. The geographical spread of these activities, and the enthusiasm with which they were carried out and received, bodes well for the demonstration.
The far right continue to reveal a more hostile face than the “concerned citizens” they claim to be. In Poole, Dorset, they attempted to demonstrate outside the Poole Royal National Lifeboat Institution; fortunately, they were vastly outnumbered by counter-protesters standing up for this life-saving service. In Camelon, near Falkirk, they attempted to disrupt a meeting of the local Palestine solidarity group. In Crowborough, activists holding a Valentine’s Day event welcoming refugees were met by an organised far-right group who, after an hour, succeeded in shutting down the family-friendly activity. As we push back against these groups, they increasingly show their true character.
The pushback was certainly evident in Gloucester, where anti-fascists countering the newly renamed South West Patriots outnumbered them ten to one, with only 15 fascists turning up.
In Bristol a magnificent Unity Demonstration saw 1500 antiracists and antifascists march against the right. In Inverness antifascist outnumbered the right with 150 showing up to oppose 20 fascists. As a warning though the anti-asylum march in Crowborough was at least 500 strong.
The launch of Rupert Lowe’s new organisation, Restore Britain, has seen hard-core Nazis such as Steve Laws and Mark Collett flock to his banner. Meanwhile, they have been denounced as vote-splitters by those remaining loyal to Farage and Reform.
The announcement by Tommy “Ten Names” Robinson that he is (once again) leaving the country, due—he claims—to threats from ISIS, has created confusion and dissent among the far right.
Some, such as Harman Singh Kapoor, have criticised him for running away, while others have expressed uncertainty about whether the demonstration Robinson has called for 16 May will go ahead. It would be premature to speculate. Notably, Robinson’s announcement was accompanied by a link inviting supporters to donate further funds.
In the Gorton and Denton by-election, the Reform candidate’s support team has been exposed as the usual mix of former Tories, racists and antisemites—no surprise there. At least one has recent links to Britain First (see Manchester Mill reporting).
Our focus over the coming weeks is building the 28 March demonstration. Its success will help determine the scale and character of the threat we face for the rest of the year.