The workers’ movement must step up to beat the far-right, a model motion

Leaflet on strategy to oppose the far right. Download here.

This union/branch notes:
1. The 100,000+ strong far-right demonstration on 13.9.25 in London which ended with far-right violence, and the much smaller counter-demonstration organised by Stand Up To Racism, for which our unions did not mobilise enough.
2. The rise in parliamentary, mainstream support for the far right all around the world. Their policies’ main themes are: hostility to migrants, anti-Muslim racism, hostility to unions, cutting overseas aid, attacking civil liberties and free speech, demonising trans people, ending reproductive health facilities, support for authoritarian regimes and militarism internationally.
3. In this country, Reform MPs vote against workers’ rights and Reform-run Councils are already planning cuts to services and attacks on workers' jobs and conditions; [where appropriate: that some of our members are employed by Reform-run councils].
4.As protests and attacks on migrant accommodation continue, the Labour government’s response - further undermining migrants’ rights - simply serves to strengthen anti-migrant narratives and the far-right’s credibility. The government’s social security cuts and underfunding of the NHS and public services also create fertile soil for the far-right.
5. The “Together Alliance” - composed of the TUC, Stand Up to Racism, union leaders and celebrities - has called a “TOGETHER AGAINST THE FAR RIGHT” demonstration for Saturday 28 March 2026
6. The TUC and Stand Up To Racism will co-host a Workers Against The Far Right Organising Conference on 21 February: (register: https://bit.ly/3YcDHuk)

This union/branch believes:
1. Building bigger demonstrations and counter-demonstrations - including 28 March - is vital. However it is only part of the broader strategy we need to develop.
2. The far-right cannot be beaten unless the organised workers’ movement steps up and leads - both directly against the far right, and in defence of migrant, racialised and LGBT+ people and for decent jobs, social security, homes and services for everyone. To defeat the far-right, we need to put forward a positive concrete alternative: working-class organisation and solidarity in the fight to build a society of equality and justice.
3. Unions must not only mobilise for counter-demonstrations, but consistently and actively educate against Reform and the far-right in workplaces and communities; spread and deepen organisation in un-unionised and under-organised areas and workplaces; and mobilise and argue to convince working-class people of our alternative.
4. We cannot rely on the police to protect our demonstrations or our communities from attacks by the far-right. We must be prepared to steward and protect our own demonstrations.
5. This work is too urgent and expansive to be outsourced to campaign groups, as many union leaders have done for too long without seriously self-mobilising.
6. The workers’ movement needs to be able to democratically discuss our strategy, share ideas and resources, and coordinate. The Workers Against The Far Right Organising Conference must be a place where branches can bring ideas and proposals for discussion.

This union/branch resolves to:
1. Publicise the 28 March demonstration and mobilise [where appropriate due to distance: fund] members to attend with our banner.
2. Send a delegation of ___ members to the Workers Against The Far Right Organising Conference
3. Write publicly to the conference organisers, calling for space at the conference for all participating branches to bring, discuss and vote on proposals and ideas.
4. Submit the following motion to that conference:

The workers’ movement must step up to beat the far-right
This conference affirms our collective determination to fight Reform and the far-right. In particular, we stand in solidarity against their current assaults on migrants, trans people, racialised people and women’s reproductive freedoms, as well as on workers and unions.

The whole workers’ movement needs to step up and lead. We need to mobilise directly against the far-right, and also to smash them politically by organising, educating and persuading towards a concrete, positive alternative: working-class organisation and solidarity in the fight to build a society of equality and justice. This means linking the battle against the far-right to opposing the government’s anti-migrant policies and to demanding decent jobs, homes, social security and services for everyone by taxing the rich.

We need united action wherever possible, and ongoing, open, constructive debate about our strategy. We call on everyone across our unions to work together on the following, and we agree to develop this work ourselves in our own branches:
-Produce literature in our own unions’ names, making the factual and political case against Reform and the far-right and their agendas (anti-union, anti-migrant, racist, transphobic, climate-denialist, anti-abortion etc) and in favour of the alternatives above.
-Organise members to campaign using these materials both in the workplace and the wider working-class public.
-Develop structures in our local areas for regular and continuous democratic coordination against the far right, based on the local labour movement and connecting union branches, trades councils and campaign and community groups.
-Build and strengthen union organising and action for equality within our workplaces and communities, and to spread and deepen organisation to un-unionised and under-organised places and workplaces.
-Mobilise for counter-demonstrations against Reform, ‘Tommy Robinson’, fascist mobilisations, protests against migrant accommodation etc. Our unions should organise legal observers, bust cards, and stewarding to protect our demonstrations from the far-right and from the police as necessary. The politics of our demonstrations should convey our political demands, policies and messages as a positive alternative to the far-right.