Call for disabled people to join mass demonstration to unite against rise of far-right

Disabled people and their organisations can push back against the rise of the far-right by joining a mass demonstration in London later this month – or by taking part in the protest online – say disability rights activists.

The Together march on Saturday 28 March will see disabled people’s organisations (DPOs), grassroots groups and campaigns, unions, human rights organisations, politicians and celebrities unite to “bring a message of hope over fear” in an attempt to stop the rise of the far-right.

Among the DPOs supporting the march in central London as part of the Together Alliance are Inclusion London and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), alongside the Disability and Migration Network (DAMN).

Inclusion London called for other DPOs to sign up to the alliance and the march.

Faryal Velmi, associate consultant at Inclusion London, said: “Inclusion London believes that the fight for disability justice and equality must be anti-racist, anti-fascist and intersectional.

“As the far-right gains momentum, we know that their ideologies threaten the rights and livelihoods of all disabled Londoners.

“IL is therefore proud to have joined the Together Alliance.

“Together with Disabled People Against Cuts and others, we will be marching as a bloc under the banner of Deaf and disabled people against fascism.

“We urge all Deaf and disabled people’s organisations and activists to join us.”

She pointed to last autumn’s far-right march and rally in central London, which included “violently racist” speeches, and followed the anti-migrant racist riots in 2024, where hotels housing people seeking asylum were attacked and set on fire.

She said: “Last year saw the biggest far-right demonstration to ever take place in the UK, under the guise of ‘uniting the kingdom’.

“It was a wake-up call for those of us who believe in a tolerant, diverse and multi-cultural Britain – and now we need to urgently join together in a collective show of even greater force and unity.”

Paula Peters, a member of DPAC’s national steering group, said it was “hugely important” that disabled people across the UK came together as a movement to support the demonstration and “push back against the rise of the far-right”.

She highlighted the “increasing power” of Reform UK, which she said was “not for disabled people” and plans to abolish the Equality Act and withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, and has threatened further austerity for disabled people if it wins power.

She said: “History has shown with the rise of the far-right and creeping fascism, disabled people have paid a heavy cost.”

Rob Punton, a fellow member of the DPAC steering group, said: “Historically, the far-right has always seen the lives of disabled people as worthless.”

He pointed to the “useless eater” rhetoric of the Nazis in the 1930s, which eventually led to the targeted killing of hundreds of thousands of disabled people in Germany through the Aktion T4 programme.

Punton said the far-right were again gaining a grip across Europe by blaming problems on immigrants and refugees, with mainstream politicians losing public confidence and support.

He said this had led to increasing support for Reform UK, and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who blame marginalised groups for Britain’s problems.

Punton said: “Disabled citizens fall squarely into this category, which is why DPAC have joined the Together Alliance to stop the rise of the far-right before it is too late.

“If we do not stop them while they are small and weak, they will crush us when they grow bigger and stronger.

“We must learn that lesson from European history.

“We in DPAC urge other DPOs to join us in our fight to keep Britain free from fascists and the far-right.”

A DAMN spokesperson said members of its collective of disabled and migrant activists, organisers, academics and allies were joining the march “to build solidarity and show our resistance” at a time when “government policies and divisive far-right rhetoric are increasingly designed to divide us”.

The DAMN spokesperson said: “Disabled people, particularly people in the immigration system, are among the people being particularly targeted by government policies and divisive far-right rhetoric.

“We reject all attempts to divide us or get us to blame each other for struggles caused by government policies.”

They added: “For people with impairments or insecure immigration status which make the demonstration unsafe or inaccessible, we are encouraging people to join the resistance online or send us a message for us to carry on the day.”

The Together march and rally – with the rally taking place in Whitehall at the end of the march – will start at noon and end at 6pm. The main march will begin on Park Lane, with a Deaf and Disabled People Against Fascism grouping – which will be near the front of the march – meeting at 11.30am outside the InterContinental London hotel, 1 Hamilton Place W1J 7QY, and setting off at 1pm, with access stewards and British Sign Language interpreters from the National Union of British Sign Language Interpreters. A short accessible march will assemble at 1pm outside Waterstones, The Grand Building, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5EJ. Those who cannot attend the demonstration can take part in a parallel online action organised by disabled activists, from noon on 28 March.

Picture: Rob Punton (left) and Paula Peters