TUFF progress report - Sept 2026
With a schedule of monthly meetings, and a programme of activity, TUFF is consolidating itself as a democratic network. Participants in our meetings will be able to shape our work, share resources and debate the politics. TUFF plans to alternate between in-person meet-ups (usually in London) and online. The next online meeting will be on Wednesday 14 October.
A summary of the meetings and the plans so far…
July 2026 meeting
Our July in-person meeting heard about the lessons of Cable Street, reflections on successful organising against the far right in Brighton (on 13 June) as well as recent increases in police powers — laws which will further restrict the ability of the left and trade unionists to protest and defend themselves.
The popular image of Cable Street is that when fascists planned to march through East London, the Communist Party organised a mass confrontation which saw off Moseley’s blackshirts. This is a caricature, but the real story is as interesting and still important.
Resistance began well before 1936 and came from different parts of the east London community: trade unionists, Labour members, Communists, Independent Labour Party members and local residents.
The Communist Party in fact supported a popular call to ban Moseley’s proposed march and only planned for physical confrontation when that call failed.
On the day police attempted, as they do now, to clear a route for the fascists. They and the fascists were vastly outnumbered by the counter-protest. The black shirts never entered Cable Street and abandoned their march.
Cable Street was a successful confrontation against both the police and the fascists. In the aftermath new laws banned political uniforms and strengthened police powers over marches.
One of the main lessons is not to rely on the state or the police to protect communities. We have to defend ourselves and build opposition which is linked to struggles on the ground
Cable Street did not defeat the BUF, but it does show the importance of confronting fascists.
The meeting also discussed the recent history of increases in police powers and controls over protests. The most recent legislation has given the police, if they chose to use it, almost total control over whether or not protests take place, on several elastic grounds including, for example, “serious disruption to the life of the community”. The left and trade unionists need to relearn not to be intimidated by these powers.
The Brighton protest, which successfully blocked the far right from marching through the city was down to effective stewarding, and pre-planning that involved lots of different groups across the city. It was successful in spite of the police using heavy-handed tactics including pepper spray and arrests. A key lesson is how a broader united front avoids over-reliance on a small core group, thus ensuring that plans for protests can be more effective.
August 2026 meeting
Our August meeting was a chance for activists from around the UK to share reports on what they are doing locally. For example, we heard from the newly formed Greater Manchester Workers and Tenants Association (@gmworkersandtenants) and how they are planning hyper-local organizing against the far right. The discussion highlighted the importance of workplace-based anti-far-right activities and Sheffield TUC's efforts to build a united front of trade unions, community campaigns and anti-far right networks.
One participant made a strong point about the need for trade unions to produce simple anti-far-right leaflets which can engage directly with their membership. How we need to also talk about economic issues rather than focusing solely on racism. A comrade from Sheffield shared experiences from a recent demonstration where a leaflet was produced for people in the city who were observing the event. (We plan to share such resources on this site.) Another comrade highlighted the importance of union representatives bringing their union flags to anti-far-right demonstrations to connect with other union members.
Our discussion revealed varying levels of support for anti-far-right work across different union branches, with some branches being more receptive than others in tackling the wider programme of the far right — including attacks on trans people.
TUFF’s plans for the next six months
The meeting was also a chance for people to give feedback on TUFF’s plans for the next six months:
a presence at the Cable Street Remembrance events
our TUC Congress fringe meeting, promotion of an emergency motion at the conference
a planned TUFF conference in January.
to facilitate a discussion about what smaller mobilisations can do to disrupt the far right.
to attend the Together Alliance summits in London and Manchester in October
to facilitate a discussion about building union density, to better organise ourselves (we will do this at the October meeting)
Finally a few notes about organising ourselves. We want people to join the TUFF coordinating group to expand its geographic reach and involvement; please get in touch if you are interested. We are not seeking formal affiliation from union bodies, rather a commitment to collaborate. We do however need donations so we can print leaflets and book rooms (more details soon). We also want people to contribute to this blog, so if you have a report, or something to say, get in touch. You can get in touch with us contact@tuff.network or via Instagram.
Please get on the mailing list if you aren’t already, and tell your workmates and other union members!