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Breach of the Peace Gardens – Raise the Colours March Pushed Through Sheffield

On Saturday 13th June, around 60 flag-waving fascists under the banner of Raise the Colours (RtC) were escorted through Sheffield and allowed to march on a migrant hotel.Despite the outcry from trade unions and refugee solidarity organisations in the run up and the efforts of around 800 antifascists on the day, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) pushed the march through our city, albeit with some delays and diversions. 

From the morning, antifascists were assembling. With Walkley Antifascists (WAF) marching in from Walkley Green and South Sheffield Antifascists (SSAF) coming from St Mary's Church, both groups converged in the city centre where they joined either Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) in Tudor Square, or the crowd of autonomous anti-fascists outside the Town Hall. By midday, with antifascists filling various parts of the city centre despite police attempts at restricting movement, it was clear that the people of Sheffield had no intention of letting the far-right march through our city unopposed.

Predictably, and frustratingly, South Yorkshire Police had other ideas.

As the crowd by the Town Hall grew, just a few paces from where RtC were assembling at the Peace Gardens and directly in the way of their proposed route, police began trying to get control over the antifascists gathered there. Shortly after midday (RtC's time of assembly), a few police units approached the crowd and began to make a thin line down one side. Fearing containment, many people began moving swiftly down Fargate and encouraged others to do the same. This split the crowd, and police jumped on the opportunity to surround some of those left behind, and push them down Surrey Street to join SUTR in Tudor Square.

Despite this setback antifascists regrouped and remained on Fargate, standing strong against police, blocking off this part of the intended march route, and forcing police to redirect the far-right down less public-facing streets.

TUDORS DOWN

At 1:30pm, the police began escorting RtC through Sheffield, along this new march route. With those who had been occupying Tudor Square having moved an hour or so earlier to be closer to the hotel, but ending up in a police pen on Castlegate, the march was re-directed through Tudor Square and onto Arundel Gate. Hearing that the march was moving and determined to stop it, many on Fargate broke through police lines, running to get ahead of the fascists to attempt to block the march once again.

Free from police containment, autonomous antifascists regrouped and stood in the road ahead of the far-right march, holding banners and presenting a visible opposition to the march for its entirety. Although police consistently and aggressively moved them out of the road, clearing the way for fascists to march, antifascists refused to back down. Although unable to block the march entirely, these groups caused delays, and required a heavier police presence to facilitate the far-right march – stopping them from marching freely. Instead, large numbers of police (complete with horses) were required to get the march through town


RtCS at the end of Arundel Gate

DRAWING A BLONK

Eventually, the march made it to Blonk Street with police happily escorting the fascists right up to their end point outside the hotel but, after a few offensive chants and threats towards counter-protesters, the small band of racists soon lost steam and drifted off in search of cheap foreign lager. Antifascists remained close by the hotel for a couple more hours, keeping watch in case protesters or "citizen journalists" decided to return and harass those inside.

It is our firm belief that with the numbers we had, and with our determination that fascists would not march through our streets – this compared with the small numbers on their side and the lower-than-expected police presence, we should've been able to stop the march.

Though it is disappointing that we did not succeed in blocking the march this time around, this only makes our resolve stronger for next time. We know it is possible. We have seen it and been part of it in other cities. We are working towards achieving this in Sheffield and we hope we will all learn from this to be even stronger next time around...

With that in mind, unfortunately, RtC has already announced another march. On Saturday 26th September they hope to trudge from the Peace Gardens to Sheffield Train Station, less than half a mile away. More details to follow soon, in the meantime save the date and join our WhatsApp announcement channel.


 

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