Hundreds of protesters counter transphobic demonstrations

Trans pride 2025 (Photo: Guy Smallman)

Hundreds of people gathered across Britain to counter transphobic demonstrations organised by a group called 199 Days Later in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff last Saturday.

This group is exploiting the transphobic Supreme Court ruling that defined gender as “biological sex” in April this year.

The counter demonstration were organised by Trans Kids Deserve Better, who said, “We decide our own fate”. In a statement released on social media they said that the “attack on progressive feminism and a dangerous dead end in the fight against the far right, who are the real threat to women and girls.”

Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) revealed that fascists from Aberdeen Against Illegal Migration had travelled down to Edinburgh to attend the transphobic demonstration. SUTR Scotland responded by saying, “The targeting of trans+ people shows the far right are consciously widening the scope of their political attack, from one minority on to another.

“As the far-right grow in confidence, we need unity to push them back and build a mass movement for change in our communities, workplaces and across society.”

The London counter-demonstration had around 400 people.

Eva, who was on the counter-demonstration in London said, “Fascist streamers that you usually see on far right demonstrations came up to us, streaming, filming and harassing us.”

“The police allowed the transphobes and far right to march while keeping us at Victoria Embankment Gardens and arresting some of us.”

She told Socialist Worker that the trans+ demonstration was generally militant, with chants against the state and borders and a lot of support for Palestine.

“We have to stand up to transphobia wherever it emerges. We can see that the leaders of far right demonstrations are on the transphobic demonstration—you could see this from the amount of Union Jacks and St George’s flags.

“It’s clear that the fight against transphobia is the fight against the far right.”