Manchester holds the line against ‘Britain First’ 

rs21 members reflect on Saturday’s Resist ‘Britain First’ mobilisation, which saw hundreds of antifascists face down both the far-right and a dramatically escalated police operation.

Hundreds of antifascists took to the streets of Manchester on Saturday 18 April, once again opposing ‘Britain First’s attempt to march through the city. The Resist ‘Britain First’ coalition mobilised somewhere in the region of 600–700 people, outnumbering ‘Britain First’, whose own turnout hovered around 200 by their end rally, despite Paul Golding’s claims of ‘thousands’ on social media. In August 2025, ‘Britain First’ brought over 800 onto Manchester’s streets. The trajectory is clear.

That said, Saturday was not February 21 2026. It was always going to be harder. As soon as the February mobilisation ended, it was reasonable to expect a major gear change in policing, and that is exactly what came. Greater Manchester Police deployed officers from forces across Britain, including Wales, Durham, South Yorkshire and Merseyside, backed by an extraordinary array of powers: Section 60, 35, 50 and 60AA in place from the start, PAVA spray deployed against as many as 50 protestors without warning, horses ridden at demonstrators, and officers engaging in what can only be described as gleeful violence, punching, kicking, choking, and wild baton swings at people who were peacefully protesting. 

Their commanders instructed them to ‘get hits in’. Some were overheard boasting about turning off their bodycams, while others sniggered when a protestor demanded to know which of them had grabbed her breast when shoving a group. At points, officers appeared to become reckless; snatching masks, glasses and bags off protestors while on camera, in scenes that would be called ‘criminal’ were the roles reversed. Police vehicles were stationed on virtually every side street across a vast perimeter. The intent was unmistakable: contain, control, and deliver the fascist ‘Britain First’ march safely through the city.

But it didn’t work.

Despite the ferocity of the police operation, antifascists broke police lines multiple times. We couldn’t prevent ‘Britain First’ from completing their march, but we reached their endpoint and our sound system and chanting drowned out their speeches throughout. ‘Britain First’ also arrived without their imposing screen from last August, impounded beforehand due to their own organisational incompetence. Protestors overheard cops complaining that the day had been a mess. They had thrown everything at containing us, and we still climbed fences, outran them, and broke kettles.

As a spokesperson for Resist ‘Britain First’ put it: “The horrific violence of the GMP to facilitate ‘Britain First’s march should not go unopposed and must urgently be investigated. Between their use of PAVA spray, officers’ gleeful attacks on protestors, and the use of horses, this sends a clear message that the GMP will engage in horrific acts of violence to protect the right of fascists to march on our streets. Increasingly, it becomes clear that to be antifascist is not only to be an enemy of the far-right but an enemy of the state.”

Ian, 36, described what he experienced: “Over the course of the day, the GMP choked, punched, and kicked me despite peacefully protesting the entire day. This culminated in an officer slamming his heel into my knee when I was unable to follow their orders to move back, causing me to collapse to the ground. As medics checked on me, the GMP continued to push forward, even when multiple people shouted out that I was unable to walk.” He was eventually carried to safety by fellow demonstrators and medics. “I was so moved by the solidarity and bravery shown by numerous members of the community,” he said, “but was equally horrified by the actions of the police to protect ‘Britain First’.”

The bonds of care and solidarity between antifascists mitigated the police’s brutality, and demonstrate the extent to which we are able to build grassroots networks of resilience which undermine and challenge state power.

There are things to reflect on. Our numbers were down compared to February – partially due to the shorter turnaround for this demo and because we didn’t mobilise nationally. On the other hand, we succeeded in merging the counter-protest with Stand Up to Racism this time, which bolstered numbers. It is a step in the right direction that, unlike in February, we protested together rather than in two separate mobilisations, but at times SUTR pulled toward situations that risked kettling. In other instances, SUTR members actively undermined militancy in dangerous ways, rather than either remaining at the back or supporting more mobile and militant approaches.

The significant comparison for Saturday isn’t February, which was an exceptional day that shifted the terrain of antifascism in Manchester towards one of mass militancy. The appropriate comparison is summer 2024’s city centre antifascist demo and August 2025’s two failed counter-demonstrations against ‘Britain First’, when police kettled and effectively stewarded counter-demonstrators far away from the far-right. Then, we didn’t attempt anything more defiant in response, in no small part due to SUTR’s partial leadership and the unpreparedness of militant antifascists. Measured against that baseline, this Saturday showed we’ve been able to build sustainable antifascism in Manchester despite the police repression; a movement willing to break lines, absorb serious police violence, and keep going. As Resist ‘Britain First’s statement put it, “whenever racists attempt to march in the city of Manchester, communities will always rise up to oppose them.”

‘Britain First’ are diminishing. Their numbers are falling, their logistics are failing, and their speeches are being drowned out. The question now is whether we build on what’s been won, the mass militancy that February opened up, rather than let it plateau. That means deeper local organising, ever-improving pre-demo coordination, and continuing to develop the trust between groups that makes dynamic street tactics possible.

We’ll be back whenever they are.

See you in the streets.