In photos: Euphoric joy at the UK’s biggest ever anti-racism march
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by Ella Glossop
Together — 500,000 people marched through central London on Saturday to protest the far right and racism, followed by a packed House Against Hate rave taking place in Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar Square, with its famous four plinths and the towering Nelson’s Column, is one of London’s most visited destinations. It’s also one of the UK’s greatest gathering spots. Since the 19th century, the public square has been the site of some of the country’s most impactful protests and showings of collective strength and unity.
Suffragette rallies were often held in the square as women fought to secure the vote, while huge anti-war protests have been centred there – from nuclear disarmament rallies in the 1960s to the million-strong demonstration against the invasion of Iraq, to the more recent Palestine solidarity marches. It’s also been a site for rave resistance, with the 1990 Freedom To Party rave organised in protest of stricter laws against acid house and rave culture, then in 1994 free party crews protested the impending Criminal Justice Bill, which criminalised “sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by a succession of repetitive beats”, by throwing a series of dances in Trafalgar Square.
On Saturday, March 28, 500,000 people gathered once more in central London for another historic demonstration-turned-rave, as protestors marched from Park Lane to Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to protest the rise of the far right and the mainstreaming of racism in politics. It came six months after the far-right activist Tommy Robinson led ‘Unite The Kingdom’ rally, which saw over 100,000 attendees. The protest on Saturday was organised by the Together Alliance, which brought together cultural, sporting, political figures and more in a defiant show of unity, before R3 Soundsystem’s House Against Hate took over Trafalgar Square.
The concert pulled together a festival worthy line-up, packing some of electronic music’s biggest DJs, including Ben UFO, Shygirl, DJ Paulette, Subb-an, Ahadadream, Bimini, Hannah Holland, Grace Sands, organiser GIDEÖN and more, while singers including Katy B and Greentea Peng gave brief cameos. Dance music classics throughout the ages were spun, including Octave One’s ‘Black Water ft. Ann Saunderson’, Roy Davis Jr. and Peven Everett’s ‘Gabriel (Live Garage Mix)’, and Joy Orbison’s ‘Hyph Mngo’, with Trafalgar Square’s plaza and iconic steps being turned into a giant open-air dancefloor.
Other cameos included Green Party leader Zack Polanski taking to the stage along with the newly elected MP for Gorton and Denton Hannah Spencer. Offstage, Polanski told Huck: “It’s so important because it’s joy, and right now the world can feel so grim. And while we take that seriously, music is what unites us across cultures, across races, across classes. We need this so badly right now – the feeling of unity, solidarity and love.”
Yazmin Lacey also cited the unifying energy of the day, saying: “The essence of [music] is people coming together, and when people come together and you’re stripped of everything else, at heart everyone just wants to love and support each other, and this is a space where people can do it comfortably.”
It was an afternoon of positivity, and a celebration of the power of the collective in times when it can seem that algorithms are dividing us more than ever. Also, Davina McCall was spotted having it large on stage. Huck’s Ella Glossop was there to capture the action.
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
Ella Glossop is Huck’s social editor. Follow her on Bluesky.
Buy your copy of Huck 83 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
You might like
In Photos: Londoners come together to demand a ceasefire in Gaza
Half a million people flooded the streets of the city, with hundreds taking part in a sit-in to call for the end of violence in Palestine.
Written by: Ben Smoke
New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk
‘We’re going to stop you’: House Against Hate tap Ben UFO, Greentea Peng and Shygirl for anti-far right protest
R3 Soundsystem — It takes place on March 28 in London’s Trafalgar Square, with a huge line-up of DJs, artists and crews named on the line-up.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Fontaines D.C., Kneecap, Joy Crookes and more join new alliance to stand against the far right
TOGETHER — It will host a national demonstration, which will take place on March 28 in Central London.
Written by: Isaac Muk
In Conversation: Nadia Whittome MP and Bimini
A drag queen, an MP and a journalist walk into a bar...
Written by: Ben Smoke
How to leave your job and team up with a creative partner
Five steps to success — Block9 left their jobs as factory workers to run a factory of their own: designing otherworldly stage productions for the likes of Banksy, Lana Del Ray and Gorillaz. Along the way, they’ve learned that fighting keeps things focused.
Written by: Michael Segalov
