Sheffield Stands Together – Resistance on the Streets

On 8 June 2013, Sheffield faced a direct provocation as members of the English Defence League (EDL) marched through the city and gathered at the cenotaph in Barker’s Pool — a space symbolic of remembrance, unity, and shared sacrifice. In response, a wave of counter-protesters mobilised to challenge their presence and defend the values of an inclusive city. These photographs capture a more confrontational moment — one defined by defiance, symbolism, and contrast. The EDL, visibly posturing for the camera, embodied a brazen effort to occupy civic space with messages of division. The counter-protesters, though varied in voice and approach, shared a clear resolve: to resist, to challenge, and to push back. This body of work documents a charged day in the city’s history — a community refusing to stay silent in the face of hate, captured in moments that are as uncomfortable as they are necessary.