Hundreds of people descended on the city centre
‘Acts of violence’ which escalated during demonstrations in Manchester will be investigated further by Greater Manchester Police. It comes after the force was criticised by the Northern Police Monitoring Project for what it described as ‘thuggish’ tactics used against counter-protesters who rallied against Britain First supporters on Saturday (April 18).
GMP says around 1,000 people turned out for the two demonstrations combined. Supporters of the far-right political group were largely kept well away from anti-racism counter-protesters during a heavily policed afternoon in the city centre.
Hundreds of flag-waving Britain First supporters marched from Store Street to St Peter’s Square. Counter-protesters assembled in Piccadilly Gardens before heading to another part of St Peter’s Square, separated from Britain First by multiple fences and police lines, while officers blocked off multiple streets between the two demonstrations.
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Three people were arrested during the protests, which GMP said had attracted a smaller turnout than expected. One male counter-protester was arrested on suspicion of breaching a Section 60AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which allowed officers to require the removal of face coverings, while another male counter-protester was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer.
A woman was also arrested on suspicion of breaching the peace, with GMP unsure if she was part of either demonstration. In an update issued today (Sunday), the force said all three people had since been bailed.
Since the demonstrations took place, video footage has emerged online showing flashpoints involving GMP officers and counter-protesters. The Northern Police Monitoring Project, which had observers at the demonstration, criticised the force’s actions towards counter-protesters.
In a statement, the group said: “Officers behaved thuggishly, with consistent and serious aggression and violence – overwhelmingly directed at antifascist counter-protesters, not at the far-right fascist marchers they were facilitating. This included numerous punches, kicks and violent attempts to remove masks, in some cases causing injuries, as well as repeated use of batons and PAVA spray, and the deployment of horses against protesters.”
The group claimed GMP used PAVA spray ‘repeatedly, in significant volume, without warning, and without lawful justification’, while it also claimed officers were on occasion ‘blocking medical assistance’. GMP says it will further investigate specific incidents from the protest in the coming days, as it did following the previous Britain First demonstration and counter-protests in February.
A force spokesperson said: “During what was a very busy day in Manchester city centre, officers responded to several incidents and intervened in altercations between groups. On some occasions this spilled over into acts of violence and disorder, and these will be fully investigated.
“We will utilise a range of criminal and civil powers to bring offenders to justice, ensuring that those who wish to protest peacefully can do so. We would also encourage anyone with mobile phone or CCTV footage from the protests to report it to us as it could assist our enquiries. Our priority is always to protect public safety while supporting people’s right to protest peacefully.”
In a statement issued on Saturday evening addressing the use of force and PAVA spray, GMP added: “The vast majority of both sides caused no issues for our officers. Force was required when counter-protesters had tried to break police lines and attempted to throw punches.
“PAVA spray was deployed as a tactic instead of using further additional force. A small breakaway group of protesters had made their way down the side of the Town Hall. Officers were later met with resistance as they moved them away from the nearby counter group and some force was required.”
Police horses, riot vans and specialist units from police forces across the country were all mobilised to police Saturday’s demonstrations. A Section 34 dispersal order remained in place until 8pm on Saturday night. The number of arrests was fewer than the 11 made during the February 21 demonstrations, which had multiple flashpoints across a larger route.
GMP says it has a ‘duty to support people’s right to protest peacefully’. While accepting the march had to be allowed due to freedom of expression, both council leader Bev Craig and mayor Andy Burnham issued statements ahead of the protests, insisting that ‘racism and hatred have no place’ in the city.




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