A number of community organisations in Southampton are joining forces for a ‘Unite Against the Far Right’ march through the city on Sunday, March 1st.
The groups involved in the counter-demonstration include Southampton Stand Up To Racism, The People’s Assembly, Women Against the Far Right, Unite Community Southampton Area, Unison – Hampshire Branch, The Green Party – Southampton Branch, Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group, PSC Southampton, Southampton Palestine Friendship Group, National Education Union Hampshire and Southampton and South West Hampshire Trades Union Council.
The groups had initially planned to have a march to the Peace Fountain as a ‘celebration of the rich diversity of Southampton’s communities’.
In a statement on social media, the organisers say that they have had to change their plans after a far-right group announced plans for an anti-asylum seeker demonstration to take place on the same day.
The unity demonstration will begin at Trago Lounge in Portswood, from 12.30pm near the site of dozens of anti-asylum seeker demonstrations and unity counter-demonstrations since summer. Demonstrators will then march to the Peace Fountain in East Park in the city centre.
Meanwhile, an anti-asylum seeker demonstration is planned to go from The Highfield House Hotel, which houses asylum seekers placed there by the Home Office whilst they await the outcome of their asylum applications, to the Guildhall Square, on Sunday afternoon.
In October police chiefs exercised their powers to prevent an anti-asylum seeker march from following its planned route through Portswood and Bevois Valley, past a mosque and two Gudwaras, re-routing it along Thomas Lewis Way. It remains to be seen what route Sunday’s protest will take.
The organisers of the anti-asylum seeker demonstration say they are protesting to ‘stop the boats’ and against what they claim is ‘two tier policing’ trying to stop their protests – which have been held almost every Friday since the beginning of summer, as well as several demonstrations on other days, a march through the city in October and the march happening on Sunday.
Southampton Stand Up To Racism said in a social media post about Sunday’s demonstration: “We will not allow intimidation of our communities. That is why we are organising a counter-protest. We will not give them a free pass to target our neighbourhoods without challenge.
“Our counter-protest will be followed by a march along Portswood High Street, down Bevois Valley, and on to the Peace Fountain — peacefully, in solidarity, and together.
“Southampton is stronger than hate.”
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