After a wave of racist riots and attacks, anti-fascists have mobilised across Britain to defend our communities. Here we carry reports from Socialist Alternative supporters who have been taking part in the organising on the ground. 

Chris, London

With rumours circulating that far right thugs were going to target the immigration centre in Walthamstow, 8,000 residents and anti-racists joined the protest to thwart them. In the end only a handful of the far-right turned up, but were either too scared or embarrassed to start anything. 

Walthamstow is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of London and has a strong sense of community. In 2012 5,000 protesters marched through the town to stop a planned National Front march. People we spoke to at the demo talked about the duty they felt to protect their community from the violence we have seen from the far-right. They correctly chose to ignore local Labour MP Stella Creasy’s advice to stay away from the area and let the police handle it. 

Given the size of the demonstration, it was very easy to put forward the demand of a national demo against racism, as people recognised the powerful message this would show to the far-right that they are in the minority of society. People also had no illusions in the Labour government’s ability to stop the far-right.

Paul, Manchester 

Rumours that the fascists would take over Piccadilly Gardens on Saturday meant we had to be there first, from 9am. And we were – about 350 of us, facing off across a police against around 150 of the far right. We were chanting “there are many many more of us than you”, and “Mancs are anti-fascists”. 

At one point there was a surge forward in the anti-racist crowd, aiming to sweep the fascists down the street, but the police doubled their line. The anti-fascist demo was effectively kettled until the far-right were out of sight. 

They later went on the rampage. Masked fascists chanting “Tommy Robinson” wrecked a Sainsbury’s on Moseley Street. By that time Socialist Alternative supporters were supporting the Trans Pride event, where 200 ignored the fascist threat in the city and courageously held a march.

Daisy, Leicester 

On Saturday, the multi-racial and multi-gendered working class of Leicester successfully saw off far-right opportunists in the middle of our city.

There were between 200-250 of us on the anti-racist counter demonstration. The far-right were vastly outnumbered, some of whom responded with Nazi salutes. The events we have witnessed across the country are the result of capitalist crisis combined with years of racist scapegoating from the establishment parties. We distributed a leaflet saying:

“Farage’s election to parliament has given a boost and confidence to these forces. The Tories have deployed right-wing ‘culture war’ rhetoric against migrants, refugees and LGBTQ+ people to distract from Britain’s dire situation, the crisis in the NHS and growing misery for the working-class majority.

“The Tories’ austerity policies have created conditions where violence against women and girls have been declared a national emergency. While Labour have issued condemnation, they also share the blame given their big business policies and increased migrant-bashing rhetoric.”

“This is why we cannot rely on Labour, or the police and courts to stop the right. Nor can we rely on them to solve the epidemic of violence against women and girls – we can only rely on our own strength to end this crisis.”

The trade unions, Jeremy Corbyn, what remains of the Labour left, and newly elected anti-war independent MPs should use their platforms to call for national protests to show the real strength of the workers movement and those fighting oppression.

We need to build a mass movement against the far-right, with activists who are willing to counter them on the streets, at work and in our communities. 

Ellie, Liverpool

After the tragic events in Southport, Merseyside Socialist Alternative put out a statement of solidarity, condemning this violence and calling for a new left-wing party based in working class struggle to fight against the racism and violence which thrives under this unequal system.

On Friday, we attended a counter-protest to defend a Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool from a planned attack. Thousands are clearly looking to not just protest and counter the racists, but to understand where this comes from and how to stop its growth. This night the local anti-fascists massively outnumbered the fascists, around 200 to 20. But the reverse would be true the following day.

Unfortunately, the far-right demo significantly outnumbered us on the Saturday. The police were not able to keep control of the crowd and a night of violence across Liverpool unfolded, with masked racists smashing up shops owned by immigrants and threatening migrant workers in the city. 

Fortunately the instinctive solidarity of thousands came out the Wednesday after, when roughly 1,000 anti-racists mobilised to defend the local asylum centre. The fascists were nowhere to be seen. But we can’t be complacent. The trade unions in particular have a key role in keeping our demonstrations safe. Instead of relying on the police, we need union-provided stewarding.