{"id":16659,"date":"2026-04-18T15:29:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:29:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/16659\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T15:29:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T15:29:15","slug":"manchester-britain-first-protest-major-update-as-police-confirm-arrests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/16659\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester Britain First protest major update as police confirm arrests"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A Britain First rally in Manchester today saw the far-right group clash with counter protestors and police in the city centre<\/p>\n<p>16:17, 18 Apr 2026Updated 16:28, 18 Apr 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Britain First rally\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_MEN_March-10jpeg.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"The protestors clashed with police\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The protestors clashed with police(Image: Men Media)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Three people have been arrested in a city centre today as Britain First demonstrators took to the streets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Greater Manchester Police has confirmed three arrests have been made following clashes with the force and counter protestors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Hundreds of the far-right group gathered underneath Manchester Piccadilly station before they marched to St Peter&#8217;s Square. They were met with a coalition of anti-racism groups calling itself Resist Britain First in Piccadilly Gardens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Amid the chaotic scenes, the Metrolink tram service came to a standstill across the city. The Manchester Evening News reports trams were stopped as counter-protestors blocked the tracks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The Bee Network confirmed it axed all its cross-city tram services, closing Piccadilly Gardens, Market Street and St Peter&#8217;s Square earlier this afternoon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">In a statement, GMP said the &#8220;vast majority&#8221; of demonstrators on both sides were &#8220;causing no issues&#8221; with barriers set up to keep the sides apart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Footage later appeared to show scuffles between cops and demonstrators in Piccadilly Garden, while members of the public were blocked from passing through St Peter&#8217;s Square and major roads were closed by police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The force later confirmed the group had started to disperse after a flurry of speeches and activity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The Britain First speeches have ended &amp; the majority of the group has already dispersed. Officers continue to safely facilitate the counter-protest group that remains in St. Peter\u2019s Square. Today\u2019s police operation has resulted in just three arrests so far,&#8221; it said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">This is a Breaking News story. You\u2019ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/tk.cmnky.co\/api\/v1\/tracker?cm_session=7d1c895d-3236-4f0c-b2b0-a05260645913&amp;cs=3af4f5d7-79b9-4160-8ef1-c150323bd3f1&amp;i=323844f81d7f3689abbe17a024719d9ed8bf4d372&amp;cls=4a03dee1-164c-48c0-b699-5ed91654e72b&amp;cm_type=link&amp;cm_link=319c3e02-b3d4-488a-9d43-174d4724b990&amp;cm_destination=https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=mirror.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">simply by clicking this link<\/a>. 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