Bristol Antifascists

Reports & Updates

  • Bristol Antifascists Statement – Bristol Patriots Counter Demo – Sunday 5th October

    Despite having publicly announced their decision not to hold pre-advertised demonstrations after a summer of defeat, Bristol Patriots attempted to march through Bristol City Centre on 5 October. They intended to march from the Cenotaph to College Green, a distance that would typically be a five minute stroll. As always, their racist march did not go unopposed. Racists were outnumbered by anti-fascists six to one with about 75 racists and 450 anti-fascists. 

    Throughout the beginning of the demonstration, the racist Bristol Patriots were outwardly well-behaved. Many of their numbers walked right into the small fenced off areas (essentially adult play pens) that the police had prepared for them beforehand and stayed close to police the entire time. They showed up wearing flags, including the Union Jack, St George Cross, the clearly artificially-generated Bristol Patriots logo and a flag for the British Movement – a national neo-nazi party that has historically been known for its hitler apologism and white power rhetoric. The inclusion of the British Movement at this demonstration is just yet another example of the racist and fascist underpinnings of the Bristol Patriots.

    Yet, not all of the racists were well-behaved nor were the police interested in keeping them to their adult play pen. Various members of the Bristol Patriots’ demo wandered through the pockets of the counter-demo to try and raise tensions. These members of the demo often tried to pick fights, confident that police would once again show their allegiances by protecting racists and lashing out at anti-fascists.

    As soon as the Bristol Patriots began marching, the police quickly lost control of the situation. Police had brought in a lot of numbers for the day, while the Bristol Patriots were escorted by football lads who arrived just as the march began. None of this mattered because local anti-fascists still massively outnumbered the crowd and police continued to their incompetency. By the time the march ended, racists and police alike had been chased into the furthest corner of College Green. 

    The rest of the demo was spent with police escorting small groups of racists out of the area for the following two hours. They were not able to retake any space, hidden behind a line of cops and a crowd of anti-fascists. For a lot of that time, one of the Bristol Patriots’ organizers, Molly Herbert, was frantically talking on the phone to someone, showing just how humiliated they had been. Once again, Bristol Patriots were chased out of the city.

    Our successes here in Bristol have been no accident. Communities throughout the city have been coming together and organizing. That work is something to be proud of, especially as all of us watch racist and fascist groups grow in other areas. Every demonstration comes with new affinity groups who clearly come with their own goals for the day, which makes it easier for us to show that racists are not welcome in this city. 

    Bristol is and always will be antifascist.

    And we are all Bristol Antifascists.

  • Counter Demo! Sunday 5th October 📅 11:30am at The Cenotaph, BS1 4UA 📌

    Racist ‘Bristol patriots’ want to rally for mass deportations’. After the recent racist attack in Bristol it is more important than ever that we make it known “racists are not welcome here!” 

    Let’s turn up in numbers again.

    Refugees and Migrants will always be welcome in Bristol.

    Share widely. Bring your friends. Wear a mask and don’t talk to cops.

    We keep each other safe!

  • Resisdance presents a Bristol Antifascists Fundraiser at The Plough, Easton – Sunday 5th October – 8pm till Midnight

    Kumbia Ambassadors – Antifascist cumbia punks from Chile and Berlin

    Spanner – Bristol anarcho ska punk

    Max Power – Bringing militant DnB, jungle and reggae

    The Moylan Family (Hannza and Threez) – Local faves providing bass heavy bangers

    Sunday 5th October @ The Plough, Easton.
    223 Easton Road, BS5 0EG
    8pm til midnight.

    £3 suggested donation on the door.

    All funds raised are to continue the fight against fascism in Bristol and beyond.

    https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/plough-easton/sun-5-oct-resisdance-presents-a-bristol-antifascists-fundraiser-138621#e138621

  • We Don’t Do That Here – Audio Documentary by BCfm and Ujima Radio

    We Don’t Do That Here is a one-hour audio documentary from Bristol’s community radio stations – BCfm and Ujima, weaving together multiple in-depth interviews with those who lived it: refugees inside the hotel with their children, activists and local residents on the streets, police officers, youth workers, charity leaders, journalists, and community broadcasters.

    Their voices reveal the fear of that week, the courage of those who stood in solidarity, and the deep divisions that surfaced under pressure.

  • The Bristol Cable – In conversation with Bristol Antifascists

    The entire latest edition of the Bristol Cable is on immigration and includes pieces about last years riots and interviews with Bristol Antiraids and Bristol Antifascists.

    Read the full article online or pick up a free copy of this excellent local newspaper at many cool community locations across the city

    Edition 41 – 14th August, 2025 – by Adam Quarshie

    “Bristol Antifascists is a non-hierarchical group opposing far-right activity at the street level. We sit down with one of them to learn about the discipline, solidarity and compassion needed for this work.”

    Read the full story here:

    https://thebristolcable.org/2025/08/in-conversation-with-bristol-antifascists/

  • Bristol Antifascists Counter Demo – Sunday 7th September 10:30am – Hampton by Hilton, Bearpit 🏴🚩

    The racists still haven’t got the message. After being defeated and humiliated last weekend, “Bristol Patriots” intend once again to sow hatred on our streets.

    Their lack of numbers – and fascists’ general fear of organising in Bristol – is no accident. It is our collective strength, organisation and repeated willingness to mobilise that makes our city a bastion of antifascism.

    As other hotel demonstrations across the country see a resurgence of open Nazism, we must not concede an inch to racist ideas.

    Lets turn out in force once more on the 7th.

    No pasarán!

  • Statement on the antifascist counter demonstrations in Bristol on August 9th and August 23rd

    This summer has been much like the last. From Bournemouth to Edinburgh, fascists have mobilised in the streets of Britain, marching for “remigration” and harassing asylum seekers staying in hotels. On August 9th, racists attempted to do the same in Bristol, calling a demonstration outside the Mercure Brigstow. Outnumbered ten to one by five hundred antifascist activists – including Bristol Antifascists, Bristol Against Hate, Bristol Antiracist Action, Bristol Stand Up To Racism and hundreds not part of any group – the racists were unable to get anywhere near the hotel.

    Not quite getting the message, the racists – now rebranded as “Bristol Patriots” – immediately called another demonstration two weeks later, on August 23rd. With Castle Park as their new meeting point, they announced their intention to march to an unnamed location nearby. On the day, however – only a few minutes after their advertised meeting time – fewer than ten racists found themselves surrounded by hundreds of antifascist activists, who had mobilised in the same location more than an hour earlier and moved together in a co-ordinated effort to take the space. Another two-dozen trickled meekly into the far-right demonstration over the next hour, while one of the organisers panicked on a livestream, begging more “patriots” to come and reinforce their numbers. Meanwhile, the crowd containing them swelled to half a thousand. At this point, it seemed that the police, who had formed a protective ring around the much smaller group, would be forced to call the demonstration off.

    Instead, as they have done time and again, the police sided with the far right. Attacking antifascists with horses, batons, fists and boots, the police attempted to march the racists out of Castle Park and towards the Mercure Brigstow. Even in the face of such indiscriminate violence, antifascists managed to halt both the police and the far right on Wine Street, forming lines and standing firm against hours of repeated assaults by mounted and foot officers.

    Outmanoeuvred and contained once more, the police gave up on the Mercure Brigstow and turned to direct the racists to hotels housing asylum seekers at the Bearpit. Unbelievably, this involved marching them into the heart of Broadmead, where families, including young children, were holding a Palestine fundraiser. People in the shopping district – not part of and perhaps even unaware of the events of the day – were forced to scramble out of the way to avoid being trampled by police. All in all, with their brutality and absolute disregard for public safety, the police themselves exposed the farce that they exist to “protect” us. Ultimately, even with their facilitation, the racists – intimidated and completely demoralised – were pushed back to Castle Park and made to disperse for their own safety.

    Fascists are afraid to organise in Bristol, and this is no accident. It is our collective strength, organisation and repeated willingness to mobilise that keeps hatred off our streets. Elsewhere – in Epping, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Southampton and many more – the racists outnumber us every week and are only becoming more emboldened. The same will happen here if we do not keep turning out. We must also recognise that “Bristol Patriots”, while racist, are not the sharp end of fascism. Unlike other hotel demonstrations across the country, neo-Nazis are not orchestrating things behind the scenes. It is our very unwillingness to concede an inch to racist ideas, our intolerance to intolerance, that prevents this from happening. Fascism is growing nationwide and we must not be complacent.

    We should all be proud of our courage on Saturday, and our commitment to continuing the antifascist legacy of our wonderful, diverse city. If you or anyone you know sustained injuries at the hands of the police, please take photos, get a doctor’s note, and provide a detailed account of the incident to bristoldefendantsolidarity@riseup.net; there may be a chance to take legal action against the cops.

    Love, solidarity and fuck the police.

    Bristol is and always will be antifascist!