A coalition of feminist, migrant and left groups is preparing to oppose the annual Christian fundamentalist march in London
~ Blade Runner ~
This Saturday, 6 September, the annual anti-abortion March for Life UK will once again take place in central London. The event began in Birmingham in 2013, moved to London in 2018, and now attracts thousands. It is backed by US-linked groups such as ADF UK—the British arm of the US-based rightwing hate group Alliance Defending Freedom—which in 2024 spent over £1 million on legal cases and lobbying.
March for Life is part of an international Christian fundamentalist project that grew in confidence after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US, and is increasingly tied to the wider far right in Britain.
A coalition of feminist, migrant, and left groups is organising a joyful counter-demo. We asked one of the organisers four quick questions.
What is happening?
“March for Life is part of a global and organised attempt to change the political environment to become more right-wing and socially conservative, which we have seen the results of around the world. The campaign to end abortion in the US took many years, but now they have achieved their goal of obstructing access to abortion in America, and that funding is now freed up to focus on other countries, including the UK.
“Each year, they organise a big anti-abortion political church service in the Emmanuel Centre followed by a conference and then march to Parliament Square, where they have a stage with Christian rock bands, a huge sound system, and hate speeches.
“March for Life is part of a broader far right, including anti-trans, pro-Israel, incel/alt-right, and anti-migrant ideas. In the US, they brought Trump to power; they are now trying to emulate this in the UK with Reform and neo-Nazi groups.
“We plan to hold a fun and joyful counter-demo with drumming, dancing, and generally making noise and having fun”.
Who is taking part?
“The counter-demo is organised by feminist, migrant, and left groups, including Feminist Fightback, Feminist Assembly of Latin Americans (FALA), Brazil Matters, Razem, Anti-capitalist Resistance, RS21, Socialist Women’s Union (SKB), Young Struggle, and Hackney Anarchists.
“We have also been working with the wider antifascist movement, who will be supporting with their presence. We need as many numbers as possible on the counter-demo to keep one another safe, and we also think this is an important part of getting together as a broad movement to counter fascism in the coming year”.
What happened in the past?
“March for Life has been going on for several years. In the past, the demonstrators were made up of nuns and older people, but in the last two years, we have noticed more young people and alt-right streamers getting involved, spreading their hateful message online and across generations. This increases the threat to younger women, girls, and queer/trans people.
“Two years ago, it was pretty big, and we managed to block them. They were aggressive, violent, and scary, but we held our place. We performed ‘A Rapist in Your Path’, a Chilean feminist dance. The lyrics address the structural and state-based nature of sexual violence”.
Why is it important?
“The movement is part of the dangerous, growing fascist coalition. In the UK, we are seeing an emboldened far-right, with St George’s crosses across towns and cities, and racist assaults against migrants on the rise. Mainstream fascists are expected to attend, in coalition with the fundamentalist Christians. It’s critical we hold our ground and stop them dictating the narrative.
“The narrative from the far right is about protecting children and even foetuses. However, patriarchal violence against women and children is endemic, and by bringing their kids along to March for Life, they are exposing them to the violence they perpetrate against migrants, queer people, and women, encouraging their kids to grow up and do the same”.