Protest and counter protest held in Newcastle city centre

Police lined the streets on Saturday 13th June, as rival demonstrations were held by both the Unite to Stop the Far Right and Unite the Right groups. The protest came ahead of the Belfast protests and the rising tensions to wider political approaches on tackling immigration across the UK.

The demonstrations took place from around 11am, and saw groups from both demonstrations holding events across several locations in Newcastle city centre.

The Unite to Stop the Far Right demonstrations was organised by Stand Up to Racism, the Green Party, Majority, trade unions, and the Newcastle Unites group.

The Unite the Right march was organised by the Unite the Right UK group. It described its demonstrations as “against illegal immigration,” according to posters posted online.

Their demonstrations follow a number of similar events over the past year, including the protests in summer 2025 that were targeted at hotels thought to be housing migrants. The first protest originated outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, and sparked widespread protests across towns and cities in the UK that housed asylum seekers. The grassroots movement of Operation Raise the Colours sparked the spread of St George and England flags across towns and cities in the UK, including Newcastle city centre.

Different political and community groups joined Saturday’s demonstration, such as the Pink Ladies – a grassroots women’s movement originated in Epping – who held signs saying “protect our kids” and “we’re not far right, just concerned mothers.”

Unite the Right were also spotted on social media footage chanting “deport the f-ing lot.”

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Several Green Party councillors were part of the counter protest. Jamie Driscoll, the Green Party councillor for Monument and founder of Majority, addressed the crowd about the “myth of two-tier policing.”

He explained the current economic system “treats housing as a commodity, rather than as a right,” and encouraged people to “stand strong” for their morals and not let the far right cloud their judgement.

Taken from @cllr.kiransayyed.greens Instagram account

Unite to Stop the Far Right exceeded the numbers of Unite the Right protesters, with many students protesting as part of the former.

On Sunday, a Northumberland police spokesperson said: “The safety of the public is the utmost priority and when we became aware of planned protest activity in Newcastle on Saturday, we ensured we had an increased presence in the city to deliver proportionate policing response.”

The spokesperson added: “The right to lawful protest is a key part of any democracy, and one which the police uphold. However, we will not accept people using them as a means to commit crime.”

This comes as 13 people were arrested in Newcastle city centre in connection to public order offences.