Thousands of anti-racism protesters demonstrate outside Reform UK headquarters
Thousands of anti-racism protesters have gathered outside Reform UK’s headquarters with some accusing party leader Nigel Farage of spreading “dangerous rhetoric”.
Demonstrators joined Stand up to Racism’s gathering which met outside the party’s headquarters in Victoria, central London, chanting in support of refugees before marching through Whitehall and towards Trafalgar Square to listen to speeches from activists.
Organisers said the turnout of about 5,000 people showed the depth of support for refugees and other minority groups targeted in recent disorder, amid fears of further violence this weekend.
Samira Ali, who made the closing speech, told the PA news agency: “We feel like we have turned the tide. It’s a testament to our mobilisation that they failed to come out.
“They would not have been stopped if it was not for our mobilisation.”
Scared
Another speaker, Gary McFarlan, 63, told the crowd: “A few days ago, the atmosphere was very different. Lots of people were very scared, worried about coming out on to the streets, thinking, ‘Will I get a half-brick in my head? Will I get kicked in the face by a Nazi?’. We turned it around this week.”
Mr McFarlan, a journalist from Haringey, north London, made historical comparisons to emphasise the significance of Saturday’s march.
Referring to the Battle of Cable Street, he said: “We smashed them in 1936. We gave our strength in the East End of London. We smashed them in the 1970s with anti-Nazi leagues.
“We’ve had our battles since then, against the British National Party, the English Defence League – the back of which was broken 12 years ago.”
Ms Ali said organisers had chosen Reform UK’s headquarters as the starting point for the demonstration because of Mr Farage’s stance on immigration.
She said: “We were protesting outside of Reform UK, against the likes of Nigel Farage and his dangerous rhetoric.
“The constant rhetoric about ‘stop the boats’, about immigration being a problem, about refugees and Muslims being to blame in society. This is all rhetoric that’s been replicated on the far-right riots. That’s created the toxic atmosphere in which the far right have been able to build.
“That’s why we brought the protest to his doorstep today, because we believe he has questions to answer for.”
Ms Ali dismissed the suggestion that Saturday’s demonstration would mark the end of the counter-protest movement after rioting.
She said: “We want this movement to reach into every area, every workplace, every community. The far right is on the back foot now, but we’re going to keep pushing.”
GB News
As protesters marched down Whitehall, a GB News reporter said his broadcast had been interrupted after a demonstrator “attacked” one of the crew.
Charlie Peters, who said he had been reporting on the “mostly peaceful” protest since it started, told PA: “As we approached Downing Street one of the protesters recognised us as GB News and people started chanting ‘GB News off our streets’.
“One man got close and started gesticulating towards the camera while we were filming and tried to stop us broadcasting. In doing so, he then attacked one of my colleagues.
“It’s a shame that journalists have to have security arrangements while broadcasting in central London.”
A man was briefly removed from the march by police.
Officers said no arrests had been made.
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Farage stoking hate repeating unchecked lies from a bloke in the dock for terrible crimes and gbeebies peddling constant hate find out things can come back to them. Paybacks a itch (someone stole my b key)
Nige must be getting his serious look makeup on tonight.
I wonder what Tommy’s beer-belly bovver boys and girls waking up to their first morning in clink think of him lounging by the pool sipping cocktails as they smell the urine…
They’re wasting their time, he won’t be anywhere near Clacton. He has nothing but contempt for both Clacton and Clacton’s constituents.
Some of the protesters had the usual Socialist Worker stock placards. They seem to infiltrate every left wing group, from Just Stop Oil to Save the Whale
For a long time I’ve referred to the Swoppies as rape apologists, and, according to this article, it seems little has changed, even in today’s Socialist Worker’s Party. I don’t share the ideological position of Worker’s Weekly, but I do find their criticisms of the SWP approach sound:https://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1492/regrets-theyve-had-a-few/ As for the SWP sprouting up everywhere like the opportunistic mushrooms they are (members routinely kept in the dark and fed on bullshit), it’s their modus operandi, soon followed by attempts at entryism to virtually every movement present at demonstrations/protests. The SWP is probably responsible for alienating thousands of young people from… Read more »
How many hotels did they try to burn, how many police did they put in A+E. When braverman was dribbling about hate marches, well, we saw what a hate march was when they tried to murder vulnerable people in hotels.
So, a few placards at a peaceful rally, shocked I tell you. I nearly dropped my bourbon in my tea.