Tucked away today in a corner of St. Peter’s Square, Manchester, a small and unrepresentative gathering of fascists, racists, and assorted bigots once again attempted to bring hatred and shame to the city.
Under the banner “Patriots Against Grooming,” the rally featured so-called “auditors” and far-right figures, including English Ned, Kelsea Rouge, Ben Mills, Brexit Brian Stovell, and the few remaining local supporters of Paul Golding’s Britain First.
Profoundly cynical
The event was a symphony of hypocrisy. As we have pointed out many times, this is a movement within which many activists have themselves been identified as child abusers and domestic violators in recent years, making their self-appointed role as moral guardians profoundly cynical.
In stark contrast, campaigners across the Square – who were neither contained nor kettled by police -drew considerably more public sympathy. They were raising awareness for the victims of the appalling conflict in Sudan.
They told us that they had been subjected to considerable racist abuse from the far-right gathering, including slurs directed by “auditors” at children as young as eight.
Embarrassingly small
Despite significant publicity, the “anti-grooming” turnout was embarrassingly small. We observed the event from a distance, noting the sparse and transient attendance.
The only winners were not the protesters but the police officers receiving overtime and the thousands of multiracial Manchester shoppers who largely ignored or remained entirely unaware of the few dozen demonstrators.
In a final irony, their event insulted the memory of those who died fighting fascism, whose memorial lies a mere 200 metres away beside the town hall.
