Electric Manchester launch event for Women Against the Far Right

“The Women Against the Far Right message has really cut through”

Over 400 people joined the Women Against the Far Right (WAFR) launch rally in Manchester last Saturday.

Samira Ali from WAFR won huge cheers when she slammed the far right figures in the Epstein Files.

She said, “Jeffrey Epstein celebrated Tommy Robinson’s release from prison in 2018.

“Elon Musk, who made such a fuss about ‘Asian grooming gangs’, is in the Epstein Files.

“Steve Bannon, MAGA architect and friend of Donald Trump, was a longstanding friend of Epstein.

“These are the men who make us unsafe—not refugees, asylum seekers or Muslims. It is these far right figures who are sexist to the core, as well as racist.

“The far right is a threat to women.

“Reform UK is going all out to win the Gorton by-election and we need to campaign on the streets. Matt Goodwin, to add to his racism, he proposed to tax women for not having children in 2023.

“This is not the Hand Maiden’s Tale—it is someone who could become an MP.

“Nigel Farage wants to reopen the debate on abortion rights. He wants to push back our bodily autonomy,” she said.

“If we want to know what a Reform UK government would look like, look at Trump’s United States.

“We have to get real about the threat Reform UK poses—mass deportations in British cities.

“Tens of thousands of people have resisted Ice—that’s the force that can beat back the far right.”

Social worker Danielle Alderson was one of the organisers. She told Socialist Worker, “The atmosphere was electric.

“There were people from lots of different backgrounds and different political affiliations.

“The WAFR message has really cut through because people are just fed up with everything the far right is trying to do.

“One of the biggest cheers was when we announced that we would be opposing a Britain First march in Manchester on 21 February.

“There were big cheers for the suggestion of a demo on International Women’s Day.”

Danielle said that Agnes Peters, from the Unison union’s migrant workers’ campaign went down “really well”.

“Agnes works at Manchester hospital, she was £63 short of the money needed to get a visa,” she said.

“She said women—black women, white women, trans women—all need to stand together against the far right.”

WAFR collected over £2,000 to support the march and placards.

Clare McCrystal, secretary of Greater Manchester Stand Up To Racism, told Socialist Worker, “Everyone was really involved. People just seemed to know what was needed and did their bit.

“Tracy Pook, from the mosque we helped to defend when it was threatened by Tommy Robinson, came along to speak. And Mary Doolin, the regional secretary of the North West PCS union.

“We had a broad platform and that was reflected in the audience.

“It opened up new relationships which we can build on to mobilise for Together.

“People feel they are part of something important.”