Second Oxfordshire Patriots protest this term met with counterprotesters

The Oxfordshire Patriots held a demonstration last Saturday in the city centre outside the Oxfordshire County Council offices. They were met by counter-protestors from Oxford Stand Up To Racism (OSUTR).

Speaking to Cherwell, Oxfordshire Patriots organiser Aiden Noble referred to the revelation in January that the County Council had spent £15,500 on removing illegally displayed Union Jack flags as a reason for the demonstration. He called on the Council to “work with us [those displaying flags]. Reach some compromise and allow us to at least fly our flag somewhere”.

The demonstration began at around 11am, with the last counter-protestors leaving at around 1.15pm and the Oxfordshire Patriots leaving soon after. The protestors stood on New Road facing the Council offices, with counter-protestors appearing on the other side. A couple of counter-protestors could be seen crossing the road to talk to individuals near the right-wing demonstration. Around seven police officers were on the scene, accompanied by two police vans.

Asked by Cherwell if they had had any interactions with members of the Oxfordshire Patriots, the OUSTR organiser said they “don’t debate with fascists”. In a comment to Cherwell after the demonstration, OUSTR told us they “do not accept fascism has a place in mainstream debate…history has shown that fascism has to be stopped at the earliest time”.

The organiser for Stand Up to Racism described the Oxfordshire Patriots as following “Tommy Robinson’s line most of the time”, referring to far-right anti-Islam activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who co-founded the English Defence League under the name Tommy Robinson. The organiser linked the Oxfordshire Patriots to Yaxley-Lennon’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in London in September 2025. In a comment after the protest, the Oxfordshire Patriots to Cherwell: “We do not work with any big-name organisations…we are an independent group with our own voice. While there may be others who share similar values and opinions, that does not mean we are affiliated or working together.”

Mr Noble accused those counterprotesting of “painting everyone with the same brush”. Referencing a post by an anti-fascist Instagram account, Oxford Resists, accusing Oxfordshire Patriots of working with neo-Nazis, Noble told Cherwell: “Everyone’s entitled to free speech, whatever you believe. I don’t believe Nazis seem very good, however, some of our views are the same…I don’t agree with everything they say.” Following the protest, the Oxfordshire Patriots told Cherwell: “We do not support harm towards anyone.”

Asked about a Reform UK logo displayed at the protest, Aiden Noble told Cherwell that whilst he personally supported Restore Britain, a party recently set up by former Reform MP for Great Yarmouth, Rupert Lowe, “the realistic option is Reform.” He added: “I don’t think [Nigel] Farage has got it in him if you want my God-honest truth, but it’s our only realistic option for the moment.” The OSUTR organiser said he was “not surprised” to see the logo, and said “Reform enables these people – the rhetoric of Reform”, even if the party “don’t want them” to join as party members.  Reform UK Oxfordshire were contacted for comment.

Multiple Union Jack flags were also displayed by Oxfordshire Patriots, with Noble describing them as a symbol of “pride” and “unity” and urging the council to spend the money used for removing flags on tackling homelessness or repairing roads. However, speaking to Cherwell, an organiser for Stand Up to Racism claimed their movement was “nothing to do with flags” and was instead a “racist street movement where they can intimidate people”.  

OUSTR recently organised a petition calling for those illegally displaying flags to be ordered to pay the cost of their replacement, which received almost 500 signatures. Their call was echoed by Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot and Wantage, Olly Glover, who said this weekend that “the cost of removing flags, or anything else, attached to public property without permission, should be paid by those responsible for putting them up – not the taxpayer”.

The demonstration followed a similar protest and counter-protest on Bonn Square a week earlier.