Leeds students and residents protest Reform UK’s city centre rally

Last month, Leeds students and residents gathered together to protest a political rally hosted by Reform UK.

On Tuesday 24th March, high-profile speakers including Nigel Farage and the Reform party’s current ministers visited Leeds city centre

Stand Up To Racism (LeedsSUTR) hosted a protest against the event, urging Leeds residents and students to show their disagreement with the rally.

The protest was attended by over 500 people, holding signs which read “Hope Not Fear, Love Not Hate, Freedom Not Fascism”, “Refugees Welcome” and “Refugees are NOT the problem, Reform is NOT the solution.”

A post made by the group online read: “Stop Reform tearing our communities apart. Stand together against hatred, fear, and division.”

Leading up to the protest, LeedsSUTR promoted the protest online, urging Leeds residents to “Give Farage the Boot”.

Members of the Green Party, the Liberal Democrats, and trade unionists were also in attendance.

Farage was met with protesters who congregated outside the First Direct Arena, where the event was being hosted. The protest began at 5pm to draw attention to the political event, which began at 7pm.

Reform UK is a relatively new political party that became popular in the 2023 UK general elections. It has become controversial for its right-wing ideology and loud statements on immigration, women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and economic reform.

The Brexit Party was co-founded by Nigel Farage and Catherine Blaiklock in 2018 to advocate for a no-deal Brexit. After gaining no seats in the 2019 general election, the party rebranded in 2021 and became popular in the 2024 general election, where it won five ministerial seats.

The event was attended by many classic reform members as well as Farage, including Andrea Jenkyns, Greater Lincolnshire Mayor and Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield.

via Unsplash

The Leeds Tab spoke to a student protesting the event, who said: “I went to the protest because I don’t think Reform UK or Nigel Farage represent what Leeds is.

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“This is a beautifully diverse city that does not need the hateful and repressive attitudes of the right.”

Sam Kirk, one of the organisers for Stand Up to Racism Leeds, said: “We’re here to say to Nigel Farage that he’s not welcome in Leeds.

“People have their own vote. He’s about dividing people and that’s why we’re here.

“You can hear how much sound there is here, how much support there is for opposition to him.”

Stand Up To Racism Leeds explained why it organised the protest: “The protest outside the First Direct area this past Tuesday, countering the Reform rally, had an incredible turnout of a few hundred people, rivalling the number of Reform attendees.

“It was so important to demonstrate that the city of Leeds does not welcome the racism, sexism, hatred and division that Reform wants to bring about.

“We represented not only our city, but the communities we all belong to, and the entirety of the UK when we demonstrated our unity against hatred, our despise of Nigel Farage and Reform UK.

“Communities will always come together to fight for just causes, and if the far right continues to embolden themselves, we must continue to oppose them. We succeeded on Tuesday; we brought together a strong community with shared values of love, unity, and equal rights and opportunities, but that’s just one fight.”

“Around forty students gathered at Parkinson steps beforehand to rally at the university against Farage’s presence in Leeds. It was a vibrant rally despite the rain, condemning Reform’s support for Trump’s war in Iran, and their racist policies at home. The student rally then marched to the First Direct Arena where the main protest was held.”

The race of political campaigning has been steady ahead of the City Council elections that will have Leeds residents going to the polls on May 7th.

Reform UK, Nigel Farage and Leeds University have been contacted for comment. 

Featured image via official Number 10 Flickr feed (under Open Government Licence)