March organiser Tyrek Morris, right, gave a speech to a socially distanced crowd at Piccadilly Gardens.
Chants of “no justice, no peace, take to the streets and f*** the police” could be heard yesterday as protestors marched through Manchester in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Around 100 protestors walked from St Peter’s Square to Piccadilly Gardens via Deansgate and the Arndale at 2.30pm yesterday, causing temporary traffic jams in the city centre.
The march took place while talks are being held between Boris Johnson and Andy Burnham, under speculation over Greater Manchester being forced into a Tier 3 lockdown.
Becca Withers, front and centre, was one of more than 100 people who participated in the march from St Peter’s Square to Piccadilly Gardens via Deansgate.
“Our demands do not wait for a pandemic,” said Becca Withers, one of the organisers of the march.
21-year-old Tyrek Morris, a journalism student at Manchester Metropolitan University, is one of the founding members of All Black Lives UK, a youth led organisation protesting and working towards change across the globe.
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Speaking to The Manc before leading yesterday’s march, he said: “So far, we’ve had all these protests, and nothing is really changing.
“Positive change is coming, but there’s a long way to go.”
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Formed in June 2020, All Black Lives UK are campaigning on five main demands, including to commit to ending discrimination, specifically in relation to stop and search figures.
In the year ending March 2019, black people in Manchester were nearly three times more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts, relative to population size.
And during the same time period, black people were eight times more likely to be stopped and searched within Greater Manchester, according to government statistics.
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Protestors also want a commitment from local and national government to end racial health disparities, and from schools and universities to work towards ending racially targeted bullying and teach about British history in relation to the empire.
Leaflets which were handed out to passers by said that in 2018/19, black people in Manchester were 3.5 times more likely to face force tactics by Greater Manchester Police.
Signs held by protestors included messages like “Decolonise the curriculum”, “Destroy systemic racism” and “Pull down the racist statues.”
On arrival in Piccadilly gardens, protestors gathered in the centre while different speakers took it in turn to say their bit in support of the cause.
Mr Morris added: “We can’t wait for our lives to matter. Racism is a pandemic in itself and the fact we are still willing to march during these times shows much people care about the movement.”
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Plans to build tower next to Manchester’s historic Britons Protection pub scrapped
Danny Jones
Punters, rejoice: plans to build a large apartment tower next to Manchester’s Britons Protection pub have reportedly been scrapped after a long, drawn-out process and widespread protests.
What a relief.
One of the city’s oldest boozers, the Britons Protection was due to be dwarfed by a large development reaching 26 storeys tall, which not only would have encroached on the cultural landmark and storied watering hole, but also blocked out its popular beer garden to the rear.
We’ve seen a similar loss of outdoor drinking space with the recent St Michael’s development, which has essentially removed the equally historic Sir Ralph Abercromby pub – though it is at least getting a refurb – but in truth, the ‘Protect the Protection’ fight has been going on much longer.
As per a notice published on Manchester City Council’s website this week, it now appears that the plans for 72 new flats have been cancelled, with developers Arrowsmith Management having officially withdrawn their application.
Run by Bahraini businessman Mohamed Abbas Haji, the company is now said to be reassessing its options for the ‘Apex Tower’ proposals.
Speaking to the BBC, Mark Brennan – who took over the pub back in January 2025 – said: “I’m quite happy to be honest, a lot of people say the pub might be busier with more people about, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to people coming in here.”
“It would have looked horrendous… It’s Grade II-listed, so the pub should always be here. It wouldn’t have been a good look, having a big ugly building on top of our building.”
Countless Mancunians have echoed the sentiment over the past few years, with appeals dating back to post-pandemic and a big awareness push in 2021.
Standing for more than two centuries and holding countless awards, it was never going to go quietly.
It also happens to be quite comfortably on our list of the cosiest pubs in Manchester and has been since day dot.
Anyone who’s been in will know the sense of a warm welcome the place always puts out, and we’re overjoyed to hear that years of petitions and campaigning to save it have paid off.
These stories don’t always end with the right outcome (not often enough, anyway), so we’ll definitely be raising a glass to the Britons Protected this weekend.
Unfortunately, we do still have some other sad news from the hospitality sector, as our oldest Manc publican has passed away at a fellow favourite pub.
Featured Images — CGI (via Arrowsmith Management)/Gerald England (via Geograph)
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Avanti staff at Manchester Piccadilly to strike tomorrow over ‘unfair dismissal’ of colleague
Emily Sergeant
Avanti West Coast staff based at Manchester Piccadilly are set to stage strike action tomorrow.
Due to what has been described as the ‘unfair dismissal’ of a colleague, rail union RMT has announced that Avanti West Coast members at Manchester Piccadilly station are set to walk out tomorrow (Saturday 1 August) – with several other strikes also planned later in the year.
Despite taking industrial action against sacking – which was based on anonymous allegations – RMT says the company has decided to ‘ignore’ the workforce and uphold the sacking at an appeal hearing.
As well as the 24-hour strike tomorrow, two other strikes have also been announced for future dates – 29 August, and 10 October.
Avanti staff at Manchester Piccadilly are striking over the ‘unfair dismissal’ of a colleague / Credit: Network Rail
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said that the sacking was ‘extremely disappointing’.
He claimed the worker had ‘clearly’ been the victim of a toxic workplace culture which encouraged anonymous and unsubstantiated complaints.
“This member has been made a scapegoat for multiple management failings, including the company’s inability to manage its employees to an acceptable standard within the workplace,” commented RMT general secretary, Eddie Dempsey.
“This union is sending the clearest possible message to Avanti West Coast that there will be no let-up until this unfair dismissal is overturned and the issues at the heart of this dispute are resolved.”
Sam Ormiston -
19th October 2020 
