The “Unite the Kingdom” march in London on September 13 exposed the scale of the danger facing Britain. Over 100,000 were mobilised under the banner of Tommy Robinson — a convicted criminal and fascist demagogue — waving the Union Jack as cover for racism, division and hate. This was not a harmless “protest,” but the largest fascist mobilisation in Britain in a generation.
The Communist Party of Britain (CPB) has warned for years that such a moment was coming. In a series of statements and Morning Star editorials, the CPB described the event as the largest fascist mobilisation in a generation, claiming it reflects the way economic despair is being channelled into racist and nationalist sentiment.
The party characterised fascism as a tool of capitalism, arguing that insecurity, austerity and crumbling services have created fertile ground for scapegoating. According to the CPB, Robinson and other organisers are exploiting these conditions to target migrants, Muslims and minorities, diverting attention from the “profiteers and monopolies” responsible for working-class hardship.
“The enemy is not the migrant worker but the billionaire boss,” a CPB statement argued, stressing that racism functions to divide the working class.
The Communist Party urged that far-right marches must not go unopposed. It called for counter-mobilisations, community defence initiatives and stronger action from trade unions. Trade union branches, housing campaigns and migrant organisations, it said, should form the backbone of a united front against racism and fascism.
The CPB drew parallels with past victories such as the Battle of Cable Street and the defeat of the British National Party in the 1990s, insisting that only organised, militant unity can prevent the far right from controlling public space.
The party also levelled criticism at the Labour government and the mainstream media. Labour leader Keir Starmer was accused of echoing far-right talking points on immigration, thereby legitimising racist narratives. Meanwhile, corporate media were said to fuel hysteria over borders and “illegals” while ignoring structural causes of discontent such as low wages and profiteering.
According to the CPB, such rhetoric “emboldens fascists” by shifting political debate onto terrain chosen by the far right.
As a counter to the growth of the far right, the CPB has outlined a programme centred on working-class unity. It included anti-racist reform of immigration laws, large-scale public housing projects, reversal of austerity, renationalisation of energy and utilities, and renewed trade union mobilisation.
Party officials argue that only such measures can address the underlying grievances that the far right exploits, and that defending vulnerable communities must be combined with offering material alternatives.
While acknowledging the scale of the September mobilisation, the CPB insisted the far right does not represent the majority. Britain’s organised labour movement and community networks, it said, still possess the numbers and resources to defeat Robinson’s movement, provided they are mobilised with urgency.
The CPB’s conclusion was stark: fascism is on the rise, fuelled by capitalist crisis and legitimised by mainstream rhetoric. The party insists the choice facing Britain is whether despair will be allowed to fester, or whether working-class unity will rise to confront and defeat the far right.
“The enemy is not the migrant worker but the billionaire boss,” a CPB statement argued, stressing that racism functions to divide the working class.
The Communist Party urged that far-right marches must not go unopposed. It called for counter-mobilisations, community defence initiatives and stronger action from trade unions. Trade union branches, housing campaigns and migrant organisations, it said, should form the backbone of a united front against racism and fascism.
The CPB drew parallels with past victories such as the Battle of Cable Street and the defeat of the British National Party in the 1990s, insisting that only organised, militant unity can prevent the far right from controlling public space.
The party also levelled criticism at the Labour government and the mainstream media. Labour leader Keir Starmer was accused of echoing far-right talking points on immigration, thereby legitimising racist narratives. Meanwhile, corporate media were said to fuel hysteria over borders and “illegals” while ignoring structural causes of discontent such as low wages and profiteering.
According to the CPB, such rhetoric “emboldens fascists” by shifting political debate onto terrain chosen by the far right.
As a counter to the growth of the far right, the CPB has outlined a programme centred on working-class unity. It included anti-racist reform of immigration laws, large-scale public housing projects, reversal of austerity, renationalisation of energy and utilities, and renewed trade union mobilisation.
Party officials argue that only such measures can address the underlying grievances that the far right exploits, and that defending vulnerable communities must be combined with offering material alternatives.
While acknowledging the scale of the September mobilisation, the CPB insisted the far right does not represent the majority. Britain’s organised labour movement and community networks, it said, still possess the numbers and resources to defeat Robinson’s movement, provided they are mobilised with urgency.
The CPB’s conclusion was stark: fascism is on the rise, fuelled by capitalist crisis and legitimised by mainstream rhetoric. The party insists the choice facing Britain is whether despair will be allowed to fester, or whether working-class unity will rise to confront and defeat the far right.
