Hundreds of Britain First supporters and anti-racism counter-protesters demonstrated in Manchester on Saturday, with three people arrested after scuffles with police.
Britain First, a far-right political party led by Paul Golding, had organised the march to celebrate St George’s Day, saying protesters needed to demonstrate against the “extinction” of Britain due to “invaders entering our country”.
Local leaders, such as the mayor of Greater Manchester and the head of Manchester city council, had called for unity ahead of the march.
Andy Burnham said there was “no place in Greater Manchester for any form of racism or hate”, and Cllr Bev Craig urged people to celebrate “the fact that we have more in common than our differences”.
Hundreds of Britain First supporters marched with Union Jack and England flags, starting at 1.15pm and travelling across central Manchester. A smaller number of counter-protesters tried to stand on the tram tracks before being moved to a designated spot by police and being surrounded in a protective ring. Police estimated there were around 1,000 protesters and counter-protesters at the demonstrations in total.
Pepper spray was used after a number of counter-protesters attempted to break police lines and throw punches at officers, Greater Manchester Police said.
The demonstration was mostly peaceful, with just three people arrested. Two of the arrests involved male counter-protesters. One was for failing to provide details after requesting that they remove their face covering, and the other was for police assault. The third person was a woman arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace. Police said it was unknown if she was part of either protest group
Hundreds of police officers were on duty across Manchester city centre, and dispersal orders were in place to manage the crowds. Assistant chief constable Rick Jackson thanked the officers on the ground, saying: “Hundreds of people from a range of groups were able to come together safely, with no significant issues reported.”
The police presence was stepped up after violence flared at Britain First’s last march in February, with 11 arrests made at that event.
Tram services were temporarily disrupted on Saturday due to the demonstration, but services resumed in the afternoon.
Britain First is a far-right group led by Paul Golding, a man with convictions for a terror offence and a hate crime.
Britain First activists have been known to carry out “Christian patrols” and “mosque invasions” in which members stormed into Islamic places of worship. They have also targeted hotels temporarily housing asylum seekers and confronted staff and residents with cameras.
Their marches have garnered significantly less support than Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march, which attracted thousands of people to London for a “free speech festival” last September.
Responding to Britain First demonstrations, Manchester city council have launched a poster campaign against the group, sharing the message: “Manchester stands united against hate”.
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