THE fascist Democratic Football Lads Alliance (DFLA) marched in Manchester on Saturday, but their boasts of a huge national mobilisation fell far short of their predictions.

Around 1,500 DFLA supporters marched in Manchester after boasting that 4,000 would attend following the jailing for 13 months of their leader Tommy Robinson for contempt of court in Leeds last week.

Hundreds of counter-protesters staged a dignified commemoration of the 22 victims of the bombing, staging a minute’s silence.

The brother of one of the victims of last year’s Manchester Arena bombing also joined the counter-protesters to condemn DFLA attempts to exploit the anniversary of the tragedy.

The dead included Martyn Hett, whose brother Dan accused the DFLA of “callously hijacking what happened in the city a year ago to further their own Islamophobic and hateful agenda.”

Mr Hett, who is co-founder of the Survivors Against Terror group, said: “Can you imagine getting on a train at six o’clock in the morning to go to a city that is not yours to scream hate and abuse in the middle of a city that is still suffering from the loss of all of these people?  

“They say they’re here out of respect, but let’s be real. What they’re doing here is the least respectful thing they can do and that is why I’m standing here today.”

The event was organised by Unite Against Fascism and Stand Up To Racism, which are mobilising against a Free Tommy Robinson march in London on Saturday. It will assemble on Downing Street at 2pm.