It was another day of futile effort by UKIP as Nick Tenconi’s party and its Yorkshire Patriot allies were outnumbered and outchanted in Leeds city centre by hundreds of anti-fascists and anti-racists.
Britain’s fastest shrinking political party, marching alongside the British Democrat-supporting Yorkshire Patriots and calling for mass deportations, had called supporters to City Square from midday.
Larger turnout
They were met by a substantially larger turnout organised by Stand Up To Racism, drawing activists from across Leeds, Yorkshire and the wider North of England, along with support from other groups.
Counter-protesters were already assembled and chanting before UKIP demonstrators had even arrived on the scene, and the disparity in numbers was audible throughout the afternoon.
West Yorkshire Police deployed hundreds of officers including dogs and mounted units, and invoked powers under the Public Order Act, to fix routes, designate static assembly areas, and require the removal of face coverings.
Broader opposition
Police made six arrests, most for breaching the Section 14 conditions by straying outside agreed locations. One earlier arrest was made after a demonstrator allegedly refused to remove a face covering.
Opposition to the march extended beyond the streets. The Diocese of Leeds Justice and Peace Commission endorsed a joint Christian letter explicitly distancing the Church from UKIP’s presence.
It stated that Ukip “(does) not speak for us or for the Christian faith,” and called on people to resist what it described as divisive and exclusionary politics.
