Protesters from far-right group Britain First (BF) gathered at Piccadilly Station last Saturday for their ‘March for Remigration’ demonstration.
Their march called for the mass deportation on the streets of Manchester with a focus on remigration, the removal of immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees from Great Britain.
The far-right group, whose campaigns primarily centre around anti-immigration, was created in 2011 by former members of the British National Party.
What began as separate protests quickly turned into a heated standoff between the two sides of the immigration debate after protesters from Britain First approached the front line of the counter march, created by anti-fascist protesters.
One participant from the Britain First march said: “We believe in keeping Britain safe. The people who are here who have come across illegally should be sent back.”
Counter protesters, consisting of several left-leaning groups from across Manchester, came out en masse in opposition to Britain First’s presence in the city.
The groups, including Anti-Fascist Action Manchester, Salford Anti-Fascists and Women Against the Far Right NW, marched in solidarity with immigrants who are being affected by this far-right rhetoric, with councillor for Ardwick, Amna Saad Omar Abdullatif, saying: “If we do not stand for each other than we stand for nothing.”
The protest comes weeks after the Manchester branch of Stand up to Racism called on Andy Burnham and Bev Craig to prohibit Britain First from marching in Manchester.
While no bans on the group’s demonstration were enforced, leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, said: “We understand the alarm and distress that comes when a group like Britain First, which is widely regarded as a far-right hate group, chooses to gather in our city.
However, UK law protects the right to freedom of expression and assembly. This means that protests are allowed on the condition they engage fully with the local police force.”
Stand up to Racism were one of many groups present at the counter-protest which occurred at Piccadilly Gardens from 11am on the 21st of February.
In response to Andy Burnham’s silence on the ‘March for Remigration’, one attendee at the counter-protest said: “I think it’s pretty shameful. But if they won’t do it [comment] we’re not going to wait for them. We’re not going to wait for the likes of Burnham. We will be our own voice in our communities.”
They added: “I think protests like this are absolutely vital. We need to show the far-right politicians that these ideas are not welcome in our society.
“The whole history of our country is built on migration. We need to be far more welcoming and tolerant to each other than we currently are.”
Your Party founder and MP Jeremy Corbyn was also in attendance at the Stand up to Racism rally, where he made a speech to the crowd.
In it, he stated that communities “will not be driven into fear, weakened, or divided by the far-right.”
He also described tactics used by far-right political groups: “They go into communities and know full well there are problems of housing, of health, in schools, of youth unemployment, of mental health, there are many, many problems in every working class community all over the country. And what’s their solution? To blame the very people who are working in our NHS, working in our trains, in our schools, the migrant workers that have come to this country.
“My life, your life, all of our health is dependant on the skills and the dedication of those that were born all over the world and have made their homes in London, in Manchester, in Glasgow.”
Another attendee of the counter-protest expressed his concerns at the government’s pressure on immigration as an issue, over the current problems faced in British society.
He said: “It’s not the people who are coming over here who are the issue, it’s the people in power who have caused this issue.
“Let’s look at what else is going on in the country. The prices are high, people are struggling to pay bills. No one cares about that. Let’s look at the rest of the country and we’ll concentrate on that.”
There was a significant police presence in the city centre throughout the day of the protests, with a section 34 dispersal order having been put in place until 8pm.
Since the unrest, police have confirmed that 11 people were arrested for a variety of crimes, including two for assaulting emergency workers.