Three arrested as hundreds of Britain First supporters and counter-protesters demonstrate in Manchester
Hundreds of Britain First supporters and anti-racism counter-protesters demonstrated in Manchester on Saturday and three people were arrested after scuffles with police.
Far-right political party Britain First, led by Paul Golding, held a march to mark St George’s Day and said protesters should demonstrate against the “destruction” of Britain as “the invaders leave the country”.
Local leaders such as the mayor of Greater Manchester and the mayor of Manchester city council had called for unity ahead of the march.
Andy Burnham said there was “no place for any racism or hatred in Greater Manchester” and Major Bev Craig urged people to celebrate “the fact that we have more in common than our differences”.
Hundreds of Britain First supporters marched with the Union Jack and British flags and made their way through the center of Manchester from 1.15pm. A smaller number of counter-protesters attempted to stand on the tram tracks before being taken to a designated spot by police and surrounded by a protective perimeter. Police estimated there were around 1,000 protesters and counter-protesters in total at the demonstrations.
Manchester Police said pepper spray was used after some counter-protesters tried to break through police lines and punch officers.
The demonstration was mostly peaceful and only three people were arrested. Two of the arrests involved male counter-protesters. One of them was not giving details after demanding that their masks be removed, and the other was the attack of the police. The third person was a woman who was arrested on suspicion of disturbing the peace. Police said it was not known whether the woman was involved in either protest group.
Hundreds of police officers were on duty in Manchester city center and dispersal orders were in place to manage the crowds. Deputy chief constable Rick Jackson thanked officers on the ground and said: “Hundreds of people from a variety of groups were able to gather safely without any significant problems being reported.”
Police presence was increased after violence flared at Britain First’s last march in February and 11 people were arrested at the event.
Tram services were temporarily interrupted on Saturday due to the demonstration, but services resumed in the afternoon.
Britain First is a far-right group led by Paul Golding, who was convicted of terrorism and hate crime.
Britain First activists are known to carry out “Christian patrols” and “mosque invasions”, in which members raid Islamic places of worship. They also targeted hotels temporarily housing refugees and confronted staff and residents with cameras.
Their march attracted significantly less support than Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom march, which drew thousands of people to London for a “free speech festival” last September.
Responding to the first demonstrations in England, Manchester city council launched a poster campaign against the group, sharing the message: “Manchester stands united against hate”.
