Families and teenagers stand up to anti-immigration protestors in Blackpool
Hundreds of people gathered outside the Metropole, but Blackpool had a strong message to those who came from outside to spout their anti-immigration views
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
Today we reflect on yesterday - when protestors gathered once again outside the Metropole Hotel before moving across Blackpool.
It was well-managed by police - no arrests were made. But this one had a nasty undertone that was highlighted in a video that was widely shared ahead of time that saw one high profile figure declare that ‘blacks’ were not welcome.
We’ve covered this protest in quite a candid way - so we apologise in advance for some of the language contained in today’s newsletter.
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Blackpool briefing
🩺 A new health facility is to open in Blackpool offering vital dialysis treatment to renal patients in a more accessible location. The new Fylde Coast Renal Centre will be based at the former CarpetRight premises at unit at 130-138 Cherry Tree Retail Park, off Cherry Tree Road. This new facility will serve people living in the Blackpool area, and north of the town, who otherwise would have to travel to Clifton Hospital between St Annes and Lytham.
🏠 Proposals to open a small care home in Blackpool have been refused by planners because it was felt the property would be better served as a much-needed house. An application was lodged with Blackpool planners seeking permission for use of the property at 19 William Street in Layton as a residential care home. The proposal was for use of the premises as supported accommodation for up to two adults with two staff on-site at all times on a shift basis. Planning papers stated that the care home would be catering for people aged 18 and over with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental health conditions.
🛎️ A former hotel in Blackpool could be in line for significant changes if the latest plans get the go ahead. The owners of the Ardsley Hotel, on Woodfield Road, South Shore, have lodged an application with Blackpool Council for use of premises as assisted living accommodation for up to 12 residents. The viablity report on behalf of the plans says the property was previously operated as a small independent hotel but is located within an area of Blackpool that has “experienced a significant decline in traditional tourism, particularly affecting smaller, independently run hotels. ”
Families and teenagers stand up to anti-immigration protestors in Blackpool
By Michael Holmes
Anti-immigration protesters from across the country yesterday descended on Blackpool - where families and teenagers made it clear they do not agree with their political views.
The local defiance came as hundreds of people gathered outside the Metropole hotel and marched through the town centre to chant slogans including “stop the boats”, “Keir Starmer is a wanker” and “save our nation, remigration”.
After speeches called for war to be waged on France and US president Donald Trump to invade the UK, tensions threatened to boil over as one father challenged far-right figure Ryan Ferguson over a comment he made online.
In the run-up to the demonstration, which got under way near the seafront hotel - a building that has housed asylum seekers since 2021 - Ferguson had posted a video to social media saying it was for “whites only, no blacks”.
“He’s a fucking racist and I will punch his head in if I have the chance,” said the man after trying to get close to Ferguson.
The man, who was on a bicycle and said his son is mixed-race, played the widely shared clip to a crowd, adding: “Youse are standing with him, so youse are as bad as him.
Saying he wanted to fight 26-year-old Ferguson on the beach, away from police, the father said: “No fucking blacks, mate? I’ll punch his head in, the fucking racist cunt.”
One watching protester, dressed in a First World War-style helmet, replied in a scouse accent: “We would have been OK with just the blacks.”
Despite the rhetoric, and a small counter-protest nearby, behind barriers and under the watchful eye of police, there was never any hint of the rioting seen in the aftermath of the Southport killings in 2024.
But as the crowd began to slowly walk along the Promenade, across the Comedy Carpet and then through the streets towards St John’s Square, the scene of ugly clashes with punks almost two years ago, members of the public had their say.
Opposite the Tower, four teenagers holding placards reading “hate yachts, not dinghies”, “money is the root of all evil” and “no Nazis, racism won’t be tolerated” sat on a low wall in defiant silence as protesters yelled questions and aimed camera lenses at them.
And in Church Street, a woman pushing a pram and walking a dog, and accompanied by a man carrying a newborn baby and a toddler, shouted “asylum seekers are welcome here”.
Protesters charged to confront her, leading Ferguson to jump in front of the woman and urge the crowd to get back as she defended herself.
“No, no,” Ferguson shouted, waving his hands frantically.
The woman’s dog stood shaking, its tail tugged between its back legs, as police officers ushered the young family to safety and the crowd moved on.
Around the corner in Coronation Street, a police horse tumbled after being spooked by the chanting and sea of flags, taking the female officer to the ground with it. Both were unhurt, an officer at the scene said.
The No Filter Britain protest began as scheduled at about 1pm outside the Metropole, one of Blackpool’s two oldest hotels and the only one on the shoreline side of the Promenade.
It was held because “people are demanding strict immigration enforcement and lawful remigrations” because the “streets are full”, according to a post on No Filter Britain’s Facebook page.
Among those in attendance was Hugh Anthony, a self-described “nationalist” influencer with almost 50,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, and whose recent tweet about “remigration” being a “moderate position” - with “demographic replacement” being an “extremist position” - was shared by Elon Musk.
Anthony, wearing a pinstripe suit, was not heard speaking at the event.
The small counter-protest was organised by the Youth Equality Coalition’s Blackpool branch, which called on people to meet outside the hotel at 12pm.
An Instagram post said: “We cannot just sit here and let these people threaten and scare the families and children staying in the Metropole Hotel.
“The people staying in hotels are not monsters, they’re human beings escaping horrible conditions and deserve better.”
