Manchester city centre set for hectic weekend with protests, City match and station closure - and a dispersal order

Today in Manchester (February 21), it’s a bustling day with several protests happening in the city centre. Britain First is leading a rally called the ‘March for Remigration’ at 12pm on Store Street, which is behind Piccadilly Station, while counter-demonstrations are rolling in from groups like Resist Britain First and Stand Up To Racism Manchester. The latter kicks off at Piccadilly Gardens at 11.30am with a speech from Jeremy Corbyn MP. Another counter-protest is set for Sackville Gardens at 11.15am. Adding to the chaos, Manchester City faces Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium later in the evening. Travel’s tricky too, with Manchester Piccadilly station undergoing a major overhaul until February 22, causing service cancellations and replacing trains with buses. The Greater Manchester Police have issued a section 34 dispersal order starting at 10am to manage any potential anti-social behaviour, valid until 8pm Saturday. Chief Superintendent Danny O’Neil assured that while they respect people’s right to protest, there’ll be efforts to keep disruption to a minimum, so travellers should plan ahead.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News