Hundreds attend Britain First rally and counter protest in Birmingham city centre with the right wing group able to access Victoria Square despite being refused access
An aerial photo of Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre(Image: West Midlands Growth Company)
Hundreds of Britain First supporters held a march and rally in the centre of Birmingham despite the city council refusing access to a main square and a counter protest nearby.
Supporters of the right wing political party gathered at the junction of Hill Street and Navigation Street at midday.
They then marched toward New Street Station, along Lower Temple Street, and back along New Street, with counter protesters seen close by.
The protestors marched into Victoria Square where a stage and video screen had been set up, despite Birmingham City Council saying the protestors would not be welcome and would not be allowed on the square.
Read more: Birmingham City Council set to disrupt far right Britain First rally plan
As the Britain First group had speakers, including its leader Paul Golding, address their audience on the upper level, counter protestors held their own rally on the lower level nearer New Street.
There was a heavy police presence and the two groups were largely kept apart save for shouting at each other.
Read more: Powerful message from Birmingham’s anti racists on day of far right ‘hate march’
Birmingham City Council has refused to give vehicle access for Victoria Square to Britain First.
But despite the refusal, the group had set up a stage and screen and were able to hold their rally.
City council leader, Cllr John Cotton said: “We’re investigating how Britain First accessed Victoria Square today as this is a serious breach of security.
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“This protest is incompatible with our commitments to equality, community cohesion and the promotion of British values.
“This is not what Birmingham and its citizens stand for.”
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The rally was wound up at around 2.30pm when the Britain First Group marched back to Hill Street where they dispersed.
It appeared to pass off without much incident. Earlier a West Midlands Police spokesman said: “We have a long history of upholding the right to protest, while balancing it with the rights of others, to keep the public safe and prevent crime and disorder.”
Following the protest a spokesman for the force added: “The planned demonstration and counter demonstration in Birmingham city centre passed without significant incident. There were no arrests.”
Birmingham Race Impact Group, a collaborative of people and organisations across the city united against racism posted a powerful message on Saturday.
Member Mukhtar Dar issued a stark reminder that racism and racial hatred are never gone – ‘it lingers in shadows…and returns wearing new faces.’ His full message can be read here.
He says of today’s (Saturday’s) planned march through Birmingham by Britain First, a proclaimed far right organisation with a history of hate, that it is ‘not merely a demonstration…it is an attempt to defile a city built on resistance, dignity and defiant pluralism.’
He says of our city: “Birmingham is not just diverse; it is defiantly so. From Handsworth to Sparkbrook, our city’s strength lies in its solidarity — in car workers and Caribbean nurses, Irish builders and Somali shopkeepers, in mosques and gurdwaras and churches alike.
“To allow Britain First to march through our streets unchallenged would be to let hate walk, unchecked, through the soul of our shared home.”