Over 70 furious student protesters gathered outside their student union at the University of York on Friday evening. With stunningly articulate voices, they stood up against the University’s decision to ratify the far-right Restore Britain Society. The demonstration on Friday 22 May 2026 showed an irrepressible rage growing on campus. The York Student Action Network (YSAN) organised the two-hour rally after their appeals to the union were ignored, and the Restore Society was approved on Tuesday 12 May 2026.
Disgusting hate speech absolutely ignored
Students are rightly furious that the union has decided to platform an organisation tied to very obvious white supremacy. More than 22 campus societies have already signed joint statements condemning the union’s decision.
Activists have revealed that before the Restore Society gained official status, members of the group organised a ‘Detain and Deport’ golf pub crawl. To top this off, this disgusting little society shared online propaganda featuring the British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley. Come on, this isn’t just a silly little group of right-wing students. This is full-on fascism that the Student Union could not have been oblivious to.
Worst still? Members have allegedly drawn swastikas around campus and used racial slurs. So during the protest, speakers directly confronted the union with megaphones. They simply ask the SU “where do you draw the line?”
Far-right policies will directly target minority students
The parent political party of this little society, Restore Britain, is barely a party anyway. It was launched by Great Yarmouth muppet Rupert Lowe. The party’s official platform pushes a disgusting fascist agenda which specifically targets Marginalised groups, Women and Disabled people. They give off that whole extreme ‘white supremacist, kick them all out and get women back in the kitchen’ vibes.
There continues to be an immense amount of fake news circulating around Restore Britain’s principles of immigration. Here is our position. Read it, and let me know if you agree…
Step one.
Remove the illegal migrant population. Two million? Three million? Even more? Doesn’t…
— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) March 29, 2026
The party openly and proudly campaigns for total “remigration“. It’s gross manifesto includes plans to actually deport LEGAL residents. This is absolutely spitting on the rule of law and people should be bloody scared of what this means. Supporting Black and Brown people against this affront needs to be our top priority. If they come for one of us, they come for all of us.
Restore also want to strip dual nationals of their citizenship and rip apart our asylum system. During the protest, a speaker listed these exact policies.
Systematic institutional failure from York University
A pitiful 20 Restore Britain supporters turned out to counter-protest. And of course they all turned up in suits. They stood behind safety barriers, waving their St Georges’ flags from Temu. Of course they blasted classical music, incorporating one of Hitler’s favourites which of course was “Ride of the Valkyries”.
TRIGGER WARNING: Ableist slur from a Restore Britain Society fan
These counter-protesters actively cheered when protest speakers spoke about Restore’s extreme deportation policies. Campus safety officers actually got off their arses this time, placing them behind barriers. This is because these creeps had actively harassed students on Tuesday 21 April 2026.
Activists at the university say this proves that security staff finally recognise the danger to students these weird individuals present to the student body. So why has the SU given them a ticket to openly intimidate international students and Black and Brown people? Urgh.
Targeted policing for the left
The protest at York also exposed institutional racism from local authorities. Two police vans were present for the rally. Activists report witnessing officers driving directly up to the peaceful crowd. And of course, they targeted a Muslim speaker. Officers leaned out of the vehicles windows during the speech, driving away only when the speakers had finished talking.
The University of York has a lot to answer for. It has failed to issue a statement regarding the protest. They have failed to acknowledge the targeted police intimidation. The message the university is currently giving out is that it doesn’t care about Black and Brown students. That it actively promotes and encourages fascism within the campus.
A Restore Britain Society fan having issues with a flag
Free speech in York my arse
Union officials have claimed on their Instagram that they fear legal repercussions if they did not ratify the society. However, other universities have shown they will not cave to right-wing pressure.
The University of St Andrews stood up and rejected a Reform UK Society in April 2026. Massive student backlash and common sense meant St Andrews successfully protected their students from outright racism. And the University of Sussex won an appeal against the Office for Students and bypassed a ridiculous £585,000 fine over this ‘free speech’ mania.
York is now one of two universities in the UK to have ratified a Restore Britain group. Students at York now say they will escalate their tactics until management grows a spine and actually shows real allyship with minoritised communities. And rightly so. When the UK is sprinting towards a fascist government, it’s small groups like the YSAN which will lead the fight against it. Once more, we in a privileged position need to use that privilege to support Black and Brown people. They come for one of us, they come for us all.
Featured images via the author & Instagram
By Antifabot
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