The protest brought Bank Holiday traffic to a standstill in the centre of Manchester with up to 1,000 people taking part in the city's traditional May Day march.
The event was organised by trade unions and three times the number of people took part compared to last year's event.
This year, it was focused on the recession, and those responsible for the country's economic collapse, but marchers were also intent on drawing public attention to the plight of the unemployed - including refugees and migrant workers.
Demonstrators were also using the protest as a platform to spotlight the local and European Parliament elections next month, urging people to use their vote wisely.
Police had to intervene before the start of the parade which assembled at All Saints, next to Manchester Metropolitan University, when a small number of BNP members tried to provoke a response from the crowds.
There were no arrests, but the group was escorted away from the area by uniformed police.
There were no further incidents as the march made its way along Oxford Road and then to Castlefield where the event ended with a rally and May Bank Holiday festival.
Queues of traffic built up as the parade made its way into the city centre, with police motor cyclists stopping vehicles on Oxford Road, Lower Moseley Street, Great Bridgewater Street, Deansgate, and Liverpool Road.
The May Day event was organised by Manchester Trades Union Council, Refugee and Asylum Seekers' Participatory Action Research (RAPAR), Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers, and Love Music Hate Racism.
Geoff Brown, secretary of Manchester Trades Union Council said: "We want Manchester's message to be heard loud and clear.
"This is the deepest recession for 70 years, and workers are angry and concerned. But we want the right to work for all, including refugees, migrant workers and people who have come to this country seeking asylum.
"As trade unionists, we know that we must remain united and show solidarity. We will not tolerate the racism of the BNP and their divisive tactics."
Mark Krantz, one of the organisers of the march said: "We were delighted at the turnout. We reckon there were 1,000 people involved, which is more than three times the number involved in the event last year.
"In the present economic climate, the main focus this time was about the right to work, for everyone that has already lost their job, those that are about to, and also people from overseas who desperately want to work.
"Many of them have much needed skills, including nurses and doctors, but they are not being allowed to put them to use for the benefit of the whole community.
"The second message we want to get across, with local elections imminent, is that people should say no to the BNP who would bring race hatred and indiscriminate violence to the streets of multi-racial Manchester." Tweet
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Left wing rent-a-crowd are on the march again under a different banner and as usual telling people who they shouldn't vote for.
if you're scottish then you can vote for the SNP without fear of reprisal
but if you're british why are you seen as racist if you vote for the BNP
This is not a dig at anyone,
This is an actual question, I'm not into politics and would really like to know the answer
David, North M/C, you're not a paid right wing detractor are you, trying to give the impression that Manchester isn't a left wing socialist city with a rich socialist activist history.
Grey Flag, manchester ... the SNP doesn't have a racist manifesto.
Sadly a lot of the people marching probably have no intention of getting a job. They should be spending the bank holiday filling job applications in!
I waon't be voting for the BNP and will not tell anyone who I am voting for.
This country keeps telling every other country that we are a free country and a democarcy yet we also seem rather keen to tell people how to vote. We invaded another country on lies and have brought them 'democracy' (at a cost of 1.4 million Iraqi lives), yet our 'democracy' is diminishing by the day. We are abut to have every telephone call, email etc spied upon and this government has introduced more laws that further inhibit our civil liberties in ten years than in the whole history of parliament!
If these protesters want to talk about divisivness and racism then focus on Labour. I was a very proud British person but now call myself English. The Scots and Welsh have become so anto English it's unreal. I have nothing against them at all and love both places but in work and socially feel such loathing agaisnt the English. I don't see it as racist but I suppose it is. I don't, as an Englishmen, feel welcome in Wales or Scotland any more.
If you vote SNP or Plaid Cymru then no worries, but you dare vote BNP and you might as well be Hitler!
I hate to say it but I feel ashamed to be English but I don't know what it is that I as an individual that I am supposed to have done!
I ahve lived all other teh world and believe you me England is the most racially tolera place that there is yet as an Englishman I am made to feel racist. If I say that I don't think it is right that 400,000 illegal immigrants should be pardoned and given citizenship then I am deemed racist. Why? I don't just expeact to rock up and be allowed to work in America or Australia. If I do something illegal I expect to pay the price. If they have enetered ilegally they should too, but how does that me my views racist?!
We had a lovely Balearican festival in town today and this was marred but these protesters. Myself and the many otherrs that attended the festival were frightened by this and yet again mob rule has showed the worst side of our country.
If people want to vote BNP, then that's their option. If members of others parties don't work with them, then they should be kicked out. If the BNP are racists then the others parties will be equivilant to Zanu PF.
What is meant to add is that these types talk of freedom of speech, thought etc but only if your thoughts are the same as theres.
If you want to vote far left, far right, dead centre, black, white, straight, not straight etc then fine by me, but it is important that we can vote for who and what we believe in, not narrowing our choice to suit that of others.
There were banners today suggesting that the BNP were Nazi's but does their manifesto say that they will build raliways and take people off to concentration camps to gas them. If not then I suggest thathe BNP has a case to sue these Unions'. To make such a sick comparison without evidence would present a lawyer with an interesting case.
I am shocked that migrant workers were there protesting. Where I worked we started to employ polish people years ago as we were very busy and the company were proud to send an e-mail to all about how the additional staff will create diversity and help iron out the peak without any british jobs being lost.
We have over the last three months gone through two consultation (HR blurb) periods and guess what, none of the poles have been sacked, but plenty of British people who have paid NI and Tax all their working lives have been. To sadd insult to injury the poles openly state they are sending 1/3 of their money home.
It is odd that our adverts for engineering grads or our CSR slant doesn't mention this.
Personally I like the diversity that the Iraq's, Iranians, Poles, Germans etc that I work with brings, but not at the expense of equally skilled but slightly more expensive British engineers and designers.
It's time to tighten the rules on overseas workers and start shipping some home whilst this difficult economic climate exists.
Ron, Gorton
Britains idea of democracy and free speech? aslong as they control it.
Why are the Unions backing migrants and asylum seekers as they are to a degree responsible for loss of British jobs? Ah! It's just clicked,they are touting for members!!
Looks a bit a like a circus parade. What has DR Congo got to do with a march for jobs?
This is the Green Party Marching here,with nothing else better to do, they will be in bed till dinner time tomorrow with no intrest in work at all.
I read that the march was to emphsise the lack of jobs but am disgusted to see it was more of a pro-Labourand any-BNP march. The young person hiding under a woolly hat proclaims the BNP are nazi. I doubt he/she knows what one is. I do know Labour is worried by the number of people who open their eyes and see what this government is doing to our country.
I also understand M/C councillors and the police do all they can to disrupt anything to do with what is a perfectly legal political party.
I therefo ask the question: If labour supporters can demonstrate, why was the BNP not allowed to. The unions are not political parties. They are merely financially supported by the Labour Party. On the other hand, the BNP show genuine concern for indiginous British people, and the fact that our country is full to bursting point.
Andy, no I am not. I am only stating really that I despise this lot, the same people who set up stalls on Market Street or go on marches they get round to the same thing, ie telling people what to think and who NOT to vote for.
It's the same faces that seem to be organising it all and I personally am against nearly everything that they stand for.
The BNP have a racist agenda.End of.
In the same way that the Nazi's blamed the jews,gypsies etc.in the 30's for the problems in Germany then that is exactly what will hapen here if they are allowed to gain a political foothold due to apathy.
Do not allow them to do his-vote Tory,vote whatever-but the BNP haven't changed from their Combat 18 days.The package is different but the message is the same.Look your non-white friends in the eye and tell them that you didn't vote for the facists and racists behind their backs in some kind of "protest vote" against this admittedly crap governemnt.Don't stoop that low.
When the BNP were elected in London in the 1980's they opened a bookshop. Racist attacks rose five fold in the area and Stephen Lawrence - an 17 year old black student - was stabbed to death at a bus stop. The BNP say they want an 'all white Briton'. It advocates ethnic cleansing. The majority in Britain are opposed to this.
This is why the May Day march called on people to use their vote in the June Euro-election to stop the BNP.
Oh and Andy,yes Manchester is a left wing City, too left wing and this is something that I would like to change.
Ron, Gorton, When you see a bus saying you should shop at the co-op do you take offence ?
Demonstration DO NOT force anyone to do anything, they are voicing their opinions, take them or leave them, it's as simple as that.
Thanks everyone.
so does the SNP want scotland to be primarily focused on scottish people and their well being...
is that racist?
Also is there a quick way of finding out the basics without trawling through hours of literature. I'm scared that my natural beliefs and thoughts of what I think the rules should be, could be construed as racist.
"What is meant to add is that these types talk of freedom of speech, thought etc but only if your thoughts are the same as theres.
"If you want to vote far left, far right, dead centre, black, white, straight, not straight etc then fine by me, but it is important that we can vote for who and what we believe in, not narrowing our choice to suit that of others.
There were banners today suggesting that the BNP were Nazi's but does their manifesto say that they will build raliways and take people off to concentration camps to gas them...
"If not then I suggest thathe BNP has a case to sue these Unions'. To make such a sick comparison without evidence would present a lawyer with an interesting case." - Ron, Gorton,
Had a sniff of the barmaid's apron today?
Just who would the BNP's lawyers sue? Using what criteria? (Assuming you could get anyone daft enough to even attempt an action on the grounds you state.)
Have a little sleep and think about your proposal when everything is clearer in the morning.
Night-night. xxx
The German word for capitalism is "Manchesterismus". That is why the wealthiest folk in the world live in "Greater Manchester". Or not?
BNPs rise in popularity is down to Labours policy.
We are a small country and cannot keep taking asylum seekers. Genuine seekers would claim asylum in France, Spain or a whole host of other countries they enter before they get here.
They come here because the State benefits, free housing (which they jump the queue for), asylum teams to assist them - free legal advice and human rights lawyers on tap.
Now try telling someone who has lived here all their life they are now behind them in a queue for a council house. Is it any wonder such people consider voting BNP.
There needs to be a massive overhaul of the benefit system to get the parasites - both native and immigrants - to work. The taxpayer cannot in these financially tight times continue to shell out cash to freeloaders and those that defraud the system..... and I include many of our MPs in this category.
PS - Ron Gorton .. You missed Sinn Fein off your list. It is apparently OK to vote for them now too!
Amazing isn't it - people in this country can lose their job for supporting BNP but not Sinn Fein !!
we should vote for who we think will get this country out of the mess it is in at the moment but why march for the rights of asylum seekers etc when there is unemployment at high levels here. surely it would be a better idea not to let any more immigrants into the country whatever.we cannot cope with anymore coming into this country. also the immigrants living around here dont seem to want to be employed
Ron: "This country keeps telling every other country that we are a free country and a democarcy yet we also seem rather keen to tell people how to vote."
So in your world, democracy only exists if there is no freedom of speech.
Geoff Brown:
" But we want the right to work for all, including refugees, migrant workers and people who have come to this country seeking asylum.
What about British people who have paid their taxes all their working lives?