Greater Manchester’s working class rallies against far-right advance

Across Greater Manchester, the last few years have seen a rise in openly racist street activity and anti-Muslim attacks. Unprecedented electoral success for Reform in the recent local elections met and likely spurred this on. This mirrors familiar trends across Britain, wider Europe and internationally.

Open fascism swells in Greater Manchester

The first half of 2026 saw far-right group Britain First call two major national mobilisations on the streets of central Manchester. There, Greater Manchester Police were ‘disproportionately’ hostile towards antifascists and counter-demonstration organisers, rather than countering openly fascist elements. Further evidence, if it were needed, that the British state’s hired muscle cannot be depended on to protect our communities.

Street racists held countless smaller, local protests across the ten boroughs too, targeting migrant accommodation and minoritised communities’ spaces. These accompanied racially-motivated fire-bombings of Muslim prayer rooms and family homes, from Stockport to Bolton and beyond. Both are generally met with the sound of crickets from Britain’s mainstream media.

At the ballot box, Reform made huge gains in May’s local elections, while their more openly racist rivals Restore, a party heavily supported by neo-Nazis, were able to pick up 6.8% of the vote in the recent Makerfield by-election. And, in the May 2026 local elections, Reform won around half (105) of the available seats across Greater Manchester. Prior to 2026, far-right parties had won seats in only five wards.

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Organising for working-class unity

Trade unionists and other community organisers have been out on the streets responding to this. But they know that short-term counter-demonstrations alone won’t be enough.

That’s why, on Wednesday 29 July, Greater Manchester Workers’ and Tenants’ Association (GMWTA) will launch. One of its primary objectives is to bring together people who want to tackle the long-term causes of the rise of the far-right, rather than waiting to deal with the dire consequences.

Edward, a Manchester HMO tenant who’s involved with the newly launched GMWTA, said:

Reform want to pose as a radical alternative to the existing elites, but look at who they’ve announced as their mayoral candidate. Sian Astley is a property developer and a landlord, who owns both houses and Airbnbs. In other words, she buys up properties that could be used for affordable housing, and rents them out to tourists instead, directly contributing to the housing crisis that drives people out of the areas they grew up in.

Reform aren’t an alternative to business as usual, they’re a new set of faces for the same old business interests. Workers and tenants who want real change can’t look to politicians like Astley, we need to be looking to our coworkers and neighbours to stick up for each other instead.

Organisers with GMWTA take particular inspiration from the ongoing struggle against care home closures in neighbouring Lancashire. There, a united campaign by local residents and care home workers — many of whom are migrant workers — managed to force the Reform-led county council to back down on threats to close local care homes. GMWTA organisers see this as an example of how working-class unity can play a crucial role in defending both ordinary people’s jobs and essential social services.

The GMWTA launch event on Wednesday 29 July will feature speeches from historian Taj Ali, author of the upcoming book Come What May, We’re Here To Stay, and by local activists, tenants and trade unionists. These include one worker who was part of the Lancashire care home campaign. There will also be ice cream from the local Ginger’s Comfort Emporium and music by members of local band Brown Wimpenny. There will also be an open discussion about shaping the organisation’s strategy moving forward.

Sign up to attend the GMWTA launch event here. It will run from 5:30–8:30pm on Wednesday 29 July, in a central Manchester location.

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Featured image via the Canary / GMWTA

By Cameron Baillie

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