{"id":13015,"date":"2026-02-21T22:36:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T22:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13015"},"modified":"2026-02-21T22:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T22:36:51","slug":"far-right-anti-islam-march-sparks-counterprotests-in-manchester-racism-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=13015","title":{"rendered":"Far-right anti-Islam march sparks counterprotests in Manchester | Racism News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Hundreds of Britain First protesters faced larger antifascist crowds in a tense Manchester city centre standoff.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p><strong>Manchester, United Kingdom<\/strong> \u2013 Chants of \u201csend them back\u201d echoed through a damp underpass as hundreds of far-right anti-Islam protesters prepared to march through the streets.<\/p>\n<p>Union Jacks fluttered in the wind as protesters \u2013 some visibly under the influence of alcohol \u2013 chanted a series of anti-immigration slogans and derisive comments about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>In response to the demonstration organised by Britain First, a far-right political party that calls for mass deportation and the removal of migrants and Muslims from the UK, a counterprotest was also planned for midday on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>It formed a much larger crowd made up of antifascist protesters who gathered a few streets away, carrying antiracist banners and waving an array of flags, including the Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n<p>Ruby, 20, a student from South London, took a five-hour coach ride to show her support for the counterprotest and told Al Jazeera that attending was a \u201cno-brainer\u201d. She asked that her surname not be published, fearing repercussions.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4328291\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4328291\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-4328291 size-arc-image-770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSCF4236-1771694452.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"far right UK protests Manchester\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4328291\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Three counter-protesters face the oncoming Britain First demonstrators [Nils Adler\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"master-race\">\u2018A\u00a0master race\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Ruby said her grandparents, originally from Montserrat, were part of the Windrush generation \u2013 immigrants invited to the UK between 1948 and 1971 from Caribbean countries \u2013 and, despite having given so much to their adopted country, are now feeling increasingly unwelcome.<\/p>\n<p>She said her grandparents had told her they were witnessing a return to the levels of racism they experienced when they came to the country in the 1950s.<\/p>\n<p>It was a sentiment echoed by Llowelyn, 16, a counter-protester from Wales who said her father, who is British Guyanese, has received more verbal abuse based on his race in the past few years than at any other point.<\/p>\n<p>The tension was palpable before the two marches were due to begin, with far-right agitators livestreaming to their followers as they entered the area assigned to the counterprotest.<\/p>\n<p>John \u2013 a stocky, tenacious counter-protester from Wales \u2013 confronted them with arms outstretched as police officers looked on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey come here to cause a ruckus and make money of it online, but I come here to protect the left. These guys [far-right agitators] try and intimidate \u2026 minorities because they think they are a master race\u201d, he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>As the Britain First march began, flanked by police and led by Paul Golding, a portly, combative far-right activist who has previously been imprisoned for religiously aggravated harassment, the celebratory mood quickly turned aggressive as they came across counter-protesters in the city centre.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeftie scum,\u201d screamed one member of the Britain First crowd as they harassed three young people who staged a sit-down, forcing riot police to encircle and pull them to safety.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4328274\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4328274\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-4328274 size-arc-image-770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSCF4192-1771693966.jpg?resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Manchester protest Britain First\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4328274\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Far-right agitators turn up at a counterprotest [Nils Adler\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"ivisive-racist-positions\">\u2018Divisive, racist positions\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The two marches finally met in an expletive-ridden crushendo as police struggled to hold ranks.<\/p>\n<p>Britain First protesters prodded counter-protesters with flag poles, and some slipped through the porous police lines as they shouted anti immigration and anti-Palestine slogans.<\/p>\n<p>A number of counterprotesters and bystanders expressed frustration that the police allowed the march to go ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe, as Jews and internationalists, are having to confront Britain First, the fascists who are organising on the streets, who have been permitted to market their divisive, racist, dictatorial positions on our streets,\u201d Pia Feig, of Jewish Action for Palestine, told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>Audrey, a teacher and counterprotester who was pushed away by police after being shoved by a Britain First protester, said the police always \u201cprotected\u201d the far-right groups.<\/p>\n<p>A police officer told Al Jazeera that the day required extensive planning and was a particularly difficult operation, as the two groups kept changing their planned route.<\/p>\n<p>He said on condition of anonymity that handling the two conflicting protests, a rally in support of Ukraine, and managing crowds at large football fixtures held this weekend had stretched the local police force thin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hundreds of Britain First protesters faced larger antifascist crowds in a tense Manchester city centre standoff. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info Manchester, United Kingdom \u2013 Chants of \u201csend them back\u201d echoed through a damp underpass as hundreds of far-right anti-Islam protesters prepared to march through the streets. Union Jacks fluttered in the wind as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}