News / protest
Bristol shows up in hundreds for ‘unity’ march in solidarity with refugees
Hundreds of people – including bands playing drums – joined a “unity” march through the city centre on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with refugee communities.
A stage was set up outside City Hall on College Green for music performances and speeches before and after the march.
Speakers after the march included Bristol Central MP Carla Denyer and Your Party co-founder Jeremy Corbyn.
People of all ages, identities and communities joined the event on Saturday afternoon
The event was seen as a way of celebrating Valentine’s Day by “rejecting” racism and “opposing the far-right’s rhetoric of hate”.
“Since the summer of 2024, we’ve been seeing a great number of people telling us how scared and uncertain they feel in a country that is supposed to offer them safety and protection,” said Qerim Nuredini, director of Bristol Hospitality Network.
He continued: “People who came here seeking refuge are instead being made to feel unwelcome, unwanted and afraid.
“I wasn’t born in the UK. I’ve lived here for 27 years and in all this while, this country has been my home. A place where I felt welcomed, a place I found I was proud of. Now, I’m having my doubts.
“I’m afraid for my future, my children’s future. That is why what we are seeing now in this country is so painful and feels so urgent.”
Marching in a loop through the city centre, the crowd returned to College Green shortly before 3pm for performances from artists including Aloka and Broken Biscuits and more speeches.
Addressing the crowd after the march, Corbyn said: “Why is it that Reform get two things: one is such an easy ride on the media and secondly why have they gained some levels of support?”
He said that this surge in media and public support could be attributed to the Reform Party’s “simplistic message” where they turn up in communities to talk about working class issues like overcrowded schools, shortcomings at hospitals and waiting lists for houses without offering meaningful solutions.
He continued: “They don’t actually offer a solution to any of those problems other than a culture of racism and blame on people who in no way brought that about.
“Refugees coming from France aren’t the people that privatised the health service. They are not the people that brought Private Finance Investments (PFI) to take money away from our hospitals.
“They are not the people who sold whole tranches of council housing, now making a lot of money for some people in the private sector. They are not the causes of it.”
People were seen swaying to the music as bands performed on the stage ouside the City Hall
Corbyn emphasised that it was important for people to be as involved in advocating for working class problems like these as they were in the anti-racist campaign to “defeat” the growing support among people and in media for the Reform Party.
“No to racism. No to anti-Muslim hate. No to anti-Jewish hate,” said Denyer, urging the crowd to repeat these anti-hate chants after her.
She continued: “No to any and every form of hate that is directed towards people. Whether it’s to do with the colour of their skin, where they come from or the gods they worship.”
Denyer added that she was proud of representing Bristol in the parliament, as she gets the chance to see the “real” Bristol.
This, she said, includes people volunteering in the evenings and weekends to help others, those standing up against fossil fuel giants for a safer future, and people who work tirelessly to make new arrivals in the city feel safe and welcome.
“And being here with you, I’m seeing the best of Bristol. When we come together like this we have so much more power than when we allow our communities to be divided,” said Denyer.
The event on Saturday was organised by Stand Up To Racism and supported by organisations like Women Against The Far Right, Stop The War Coalition, St Paul’s Learning Centre and political parties Your Party Bristol and Bristol Green Party.
All Photos and video: Karen Johnson
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