On Saturday 17 October, while freshers were attending Matriculation ceremonies, floods of Oxfordshire residents took to the streets of Oxford to speak out against the rise of the far right in the UK. They assembled at noon on Manzil Way Green, proceeding down the High Street, Cornmarket, Broad Street, and finishing in Bonn Square opposite Westgate. The march was organised by Stand Up to Racism Oxfordshire.

Stand Up to Racism Oxfordshire is part of a nationwide mobilisation against the rise of the far right, with ‘Unity Marches’ marches also taking place in Birmingham, Leeds, and Cambridge among over 100 other towns and cities up and down the UK. Their mission is to build a ‘movement against racism, fascism, Islamophobia and antisemitism’, according to their website.

The organisers describe the event as a ‘peaceful unity march’ in a statement released beforehand, distancing the voice of the far right from the Oxford community and celebrating Oxford’s cultural diversity. In the statement, they anticipate ‘a day of hope, peace, unity, and fun – to show that there is an alternative to the racism of and despair of the far right.’

Behind chants of ‘say it loud and say it clear, refugees are welcome here’, there was the high energy of a marching samba band – setting a morale-boosting rhythm to the parade. Pedestrians passing by also joined in by cheering and expressing their support, with significantly fewer hecklers.

Contingents from 23 local organisations took part – including Women Against the Far Right,  Oxford Brookes UCU Trade Union, Oxford Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and Oxford African and Caribbean Society, demonstrating the ethos of an united front against the common opposition of the far right.

Participants held signs reading: ‘Refugees welcome, stop the far right’; ‘Smash the far right’; ‘Solidarity with Palestine, end the genocide’ and ‘Stand up to racism. Unity over division. No to racism’. 

The march comes after protesters descended on Bicester in Oxfordshire in July 2026 to decry the proposed housing of asylum seekers in a former Ministry of Defense base. The local town of Piddington has since held a symbolic ‘leave the UK’ referendum, which passed with 285 votes in favour and 26 votes against.

Stand Up to Racism Oxfordshire further quotes this year’s Home Office statistics that find hate crime has risen by 7 percent in the past year, and that hate crime directed towards Muslims has risen by 15 percent. The organizers attribute these patterns to Reform’s inflammatory rhetoric. They cite amongst this rhetoric ‘threats to remove Indefinite Leave to Remain and start mass deportations’.

Before the march, Annelise Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, released a statement on X alongside Councillors Susan Brow, Liz Brighouse, Trish Elphinstone, and Melodi Dogru. They said that “[i]n Oxford we are rightly proud of our welcoming, diverse and compassionate city. People from all backgrounds, faiths and cultures contribute to our shared life, and that diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”

The statement continued: “No one should face prejudice, abuse or fear because of their faith or ethnicity. Antisemitism has no place here. Islamophobia has no place here. Racism has no place here. We condemn those who have attempted to divide our communities and scapegoat different groups.” 

Stand Up to Racism UK has nine more ‘Unity Demo’ events planned in the next month, spanning Newcastle to London.