A complicated exit from the European Union, a global pandemic and seven Prime Ministers all in the last decade, has sent the UK political scene into a chaotic level of change. Nevertheless, some platformed MPs spouting bigotry against a particular minority group has remained the same. Even more so, the tendency for additional comments to follow after these, targeting different minority groups, stays extremely reliable. However, what is just as engrained in history is these minorities’ ability to come together to fight against a common enemy.
Reform UK have recently become an example of both of these contradictory elements of the UK political world. With the traction their anti-immigration policies have brought the party, they threaten the UK’s norm of two-party politics between the Labour Party and the Conservatives. Simultaneously, some of its members only added to the long-established issue of prejudice in politics, made clear through ITV’s recent investigation.
During a year spent undercover within Reform UK, ITV reporters found multiple members of the party making racist, Islamophobic and sexist remarks. Comments included that “no more than 1% of [the] British population can be non-white”, stated by Alan Feeney, and another male councillor stated he would sexually assault another female candidate if given the chance to hug her.
In a statement made to ITV News, Reform UK explained they were investigating the report’s findings, and that “a handful of individuals who do not share our values will initially make it through vetting”.
The widespread reaction of outrage, uniting the varying groups targeted by the comments and those affronted on their behalf, has highlighted an important fact of modern life regardless of the investigation into Reform UK; an incredible noise and impact can be made when different groups fight a common battle for equality. When this united noise manifests as a protest, any previous impact is massively amplified.
Ian Mckendrick, the vice chair of Oxfordshire Stand Up To Racism, a nationwide organisation who regularly protest against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism, passionately affirms this sentiment.
He stated that “Protests exert a political pressure that can challenge dominant narratives – in this case that racism is a valid part of mainstream politics”.
People of colour, women and other minorities hold a long history of passionate protesting for their own rights. Campaigns such as the Suffragette movement and the US Civil Rights movement were extremely significant to contributing to modern day human rights. However, there was little union of different groups. The Suffragette movement was made up of predominantly white women, and women within the Civil Rights movement often felt shut down due to being a woman.
A focus on community groups, trade unions and more uniting for a common cause, especially in protest, is a relatively new idea, but where did it initially start from, and why is it still so important today?
A United Front and the Anti-Nazi League
When history has seen far-right, fascist groups, it is incredibly rare that they only target one minority. It therefore makes sense that when minorities are targeted by anyone, not just these groups, they challenge these views as one group, building up strength in numbers.
What may seem obvious to us these days, was suggested by Leon Trotsky, a Marxist political theorist. He proposed a need for a united front in 1922, explaining that the oppressed needed to join together to rally against a common enemy. Whilst the approach was not necessarily used by earlier movements like the Suffragettes, the idea has been vital to modern anti-fascist and anti-racism organisations’ success.
The Battle of Lewisham, taking place on 13 August 1977, showed this in action. In response to a march by the National Front (NF), a far-right political party, All Lewisham Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (ALCARAF) united a wide range of organisations to outnumber and prevent the NF from marching from New Cross to Lewisham. They were successful in stopping members of the NF march from reaching the final rally destination.
The Anti-Nazi League (ANL) was formed in the UK in 1977 in inspiration of the battle, and the campaign fully adopted the concept of a united front to campaign against the NF. In the 70s, the NF were gaining popularity, as in the October 1974 general election they secured almost 114,000 votes. The ANL also campaigned against the British Movement, a UK Neo-Nazi organisation.
The ANL focused on forming alliances with groups as part of their anti-fascist and anti-racist campaign more effectively, for example the Indian Worker’s Association, trade unions and members of the Labour Party.
The league brought these diverse groups together to hold demonstrations against racism and fascism, as well as hosting the free Northern Carnival event, a concert, in collaboration with the Rock Against Racism. The actions of the campaign resulted in the National Front performing badly in the 1979 general election and their popularity reducing.
The ANL wrapped up in 1981, but relaunched in 1992 to fight against the British National Party, another far-right political party. This was prompted by a Unity Carnival hosted by Anti-Fascist Action, which again encouraged the use of a united front. Groups came together to enable a stronger fight, and as a result pushed an even wider anti-fascism campaign through inspiring a relaunch of the ANL.
During this time, the ANL became involved in demonstrations against the killing of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, and helped to establish Love Music Hate Racism. In 2003, the league then merged into Unite Against Fascism.
Unite Against Fascism and Stand Up To Racism
Unite Against Fascism is the merger between the Anti-Nazi League and the National Assembly Against Racism. It retains the ANL’s focus on uniting multiple community groups, trade unions and members of political parties to fight against fascism and racism, aiming for equality for all.
Unite Against Fascism continued holding anti-fascist events with many groups in attendance, and held counter-demonstrations against the British National Party, similar to the ANL.
The groups’ focus gradually shifted from the British National Party to the English Defence League, another far-right organisation that operated from 2009 to the mid-late 2010s.
Since 2013, Unite Against Fascism has mainly operated alongside its sister organisation Stand Up To Racism (SUTR). Their fight against racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism relies on community groups. Groups involved with the campaign centre a range of minority identities, for example disability rights groups or LGBTQ+ groups, to fight for a future benefitting everyone.
Each of SUTR’s local branches echo this sentiment, with Mr Mckendrick telling me it is more important than ever for groups to come together to defeat the rising threat of fascism.
“We are closer to fascism than at any time since the 1930s.
“For the first time in 50 years [as of November 2025] we have a small fascist group in Oxford that has been protesting almost weekly and is targeting anyone who disagrees with their politics of hate.
“The fascists use racism to divide and rule, but their goal is the physical smashing of all forms of democracy. It is in everyone’s interest to resist this”
In order to push this message, SUTR run the Together Alliance campaign. This focuses on achieving an alliance between different community groups, trade unions and MPs to fight against growing division. It is backed by 12 different groups including National Education Union and Greenpeace.
Different forms of discrimination based on how varying aspects of a person’s identity interact with each other, known as intersectionality, is also considered by the organisation and is particularly relevant when considering the Reform UK investigation.
SUTR run a woman-led campaign called Women Against the Far Right. Whilst the group strives for anti-racism in general, they hold a particular focus on the weaponisation of violence against women and girls by the members of the far right to justify racism. This sub-group remains consistently present at events held by SUTR.
This power is not only recognised within these groups, but confirmed in studies. A Brookings study found that “intersectional crowds tend to make social movements more durable and effective” and that “building broader coalitions across identity and background may be key to the resistance movement’s long-term success.”
Using this intersectionality to build a better future, SUTR are currently putting on 30 Unity marches across the UK to encourage community groups to unite in the fight against racism.
Its Oxfordshire branch held theirs recently on Saturday 17th October, with 400 people in attendance and 22 community groups becoming involved. These numbers have increased since rallies taking place roughly this time in 2025.
With support growing, Mr Mckendrick hopes that these united front protests only help to further the progress already made by historical protests.
“History is full of examples where mass anti-racist protests have forced governments and institutions to change, from the US Civil Rights movement, the Anti-Nazi League, and the Stephen Lawrence campaign, to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The protest itself can inspire further antiracist activity.”
The comments found in ITV’s investigation into Reform UK have allowed us as a society to consider the history and value of intersectional protest as a whole, disregarding Reform UK’s involvement. Throughout a history of racism, and other prejudice, groups coming together in the face of attacks works far more effectively than any solo effort.
Whilst the forms these alliances have taken differ, I think we can be certain that the sentiment behind these groups will now always remain. New anti-racism campaigns may arise, as well as the merging of groups together to fight for other human rights, for example LGBTQ+ rights or worker’s rights. However, now we know that to get the job done, we have to work together.