Communities across Greater Manchester are saying ‘no’ to the far right – here’s how you can join them

Mass mobilisations and shows of solidarity are taking place across Greater Manchester and the rest of the country in response to recent far right violence.

Here are some of the different ways you can help to resist racist and islamophobic violence on our streets:

Mobilise and show solidarity

Stand Up To Racism Manchester and local groups have been working to organise anti-racist gatherings at locations where far right violence has been announced. Last night around 500 people showed up in Cheadle to oppose those spreading hate, as well as hundreds more in Wigan, Bolton and Oldham. 

Help keep each other safe

As well as checking in on friends and neighbours who might be affected by recent events, you can offer your support as a travel buddy for anyone who is worried about travelling around Manchester alone.

Walking Partners Manchester is an online group that has been set up to help people stay safe. If you’re happy to be a travel buddy or need someone to travel with you, you can join and ask in the group. Admins advise anyone using the group to vet anyone’s profile before meeting up with them, and only meet others if they are sure it’s safe to do so. 

Manchester Community Central has also shared a guide for staying safe amidst far right violence, aimed at organisations supporting people seeking asylum in Home Office hotels, charities and community groups, and people fearful of being directly targeted by far-right violence.

Report hate crime 

Support organisation Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI) has created a guide to help people recognise and respond to hate crime, and this video from the Racial Justice Network shares advice on how you can support victims of public racist abuse.

You can also share information on perpetrators of racist violence with Hope Not Hate via email, and report Islamophobic incidents to Tell MAMA, an organisation that measures anti-Muslim attacks and provides support to victims. 

If you are facing an urgent risk, or have information to share, call 999 in an emergency or 101 for non-emergency.

Demand political action

Though the events of the past week have shocked many, they did not come from nowhere. 

“These riots started in Parliament”, said a tweet from racial justice organisation Runnymede Trust. “Rioters chant ‘stop the boats’ and ‘we want our country back’ – using language from politicians across the political spectrum. It’s not enough to call out violence, politicians need to stop normalising hate. In policy and practice.”

You can contact your MP directly to voice your concerns or email them via a template provided by Hope Not Hate.

Shift narratives and build power in communities and workplaces

Human rights charity Praxis offer a guide for having constructive conversations about migration, as part of a longer-term aim of shifting narratives through our day-to-day conversations. 

The Ella Baker School of Organising recently released a statement in response to the racist attacks, highlighting the concerted community-building effort that is needed to counter hate and division. You can receive support from the Ella Baker School to run a training session on Defeating Narratives of Division in your community by signing up here. The school is also holding an online meeting next Thursday 15 August to discuss ‘Defeating the far right: What do we do now?’, where you can find out more about their work.

Greater Manchester is home to a vast network of groups and organisations you can organise with – whether through your local trade union branch, or by connecting with the cultural spaces, community centres and places of worship near you to find out what work is already being done to resist the symptoms and causes of far right violence and how you can help.

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Featured image: SUTR Manchester