Green Party MP Hannah Spencer found herself in a police escort through the heart of Manchester following a clash at a far-right opposition event, where anti-transgender protesters were present.
Spencer, the newly elected representative for Gorton and Denton, had just addressed the launch of Greater Manchester’s Together Alliance—a coalition formed to oppose far-right ideologies—when the altercation unfolded.
The gathering took place in Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday, marking the inception of the local chapter of a national movement planning a significant demonstration, the ‘March to Stop the Far Right,’ scheduled for March 28 in London.
Footage shared on social media platform X captured two men trailing Spencer after her speech, holding placards with messages such as ‘There’s no such thing as a transgender child.’ Her supporters were also seen accompanying her closely.
During the tense encounter, one of the men posed questions to Spencer regarding transgender issues, including, “Can a woman have a penis, Hannah?” His queries were met with jeers from the crowd.
The situation quickly escalated when two men engaged in a heated dispute that turned physical. Greater Manchester Police intervened as the altercation erupted, and one of the men later became involved in a separate dispute with a woman, prompting further intervention from bystanders.
At one point, a woman appeared to try to take a placard from a man holding one of the anti-transgender signs.
Police then escorted Ms Spencer to a vehicle outside Burger King at the top of Market Street.
Green Party MP Hannah Spencer was escorted by police through Manchester city centre after a brawl erupted involving anti-transgender protesters (pictured)
Greater Manchester Police intervened to separate the confrontations, including an argument that escalated into punches
The person filming the incident noted that she appeared ‘scared’ and asked if she ‘was okay.’
A Green Party spokesperson said the incident was caused by ‘a few angry men’ who had attempted to ‘spread anti-trans bigotry’.
The spokesperson said: ‘Hannah was talking today in Manchester about community cohesion and unity. A few angry men, attempting to spread anti-trans bigotry, chose this moment to try to silence and harass Hannah.
‘There is a bitter irony that today, on International Women’s Day, these few men claiming to “protect women” behaved like this towards parliament’s newest female MP, chasing her to a police car.
‘Worse still, some of the abuse faced by Hannah included the same misinformation and outright lies shared by her political opponents online.
‘Hannah won’t be silenced and will continue to speak up for the communities that she has been elected to represent.’
Ms Spencer became the Green Party’s fifth MP after winning the Gorton and Denton by-election on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Campaigners had assembled in Piccadilly Gardens on Sunday for the launch of Greater Manchester’s Together Alliance when the confrontations broke out
Scuffles were recorded involving women and men in high-visibility vests (pictured) and bystanders
In her victory speech, the former plumber apologised to customers she had booked and warned that the British people are being ‘bled dry’ and are ‘sick of our hard work making other people rich’.
Yet her campaign was shadowed by accusations of ‘hypocrisy’.
She co-owns homes worth over £1million, advised others on property deals, and took multiple foreign holidays despite her party’s criticism of flying.
Her social media shows trips to New York and San Francisco in 2014, Hungary the same year, and visits to Valencia, Barcelona, and Amsterdam in previous years.
Instagram posts also showed her beside a petrol car featuring campaign slogans and mocking Brexit, raising questions about her environmental credentials.
Gorton and Denton are among Manchester’s most deprived areas, with incomes roughly 25 per cent below the national average. Nevertheless, Land Registry records show Ms Spencer co-owns two properties in the city’s wealthiest postcodes with her former partner, biochemist Dr Stephen Holman.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski advocates abolishing private landlords, taxing the rich, and introducing rent controls.
Yet, on Mumsnet, Ms Spencer previously shared strategies for maximising profit from property transactions. She admitted pressuring buyers to meet asking prices, discriminating against those needing larger loans, and praising second homes as investments.
Ms Spencer also endorsed second homes ‘as an investment’ – against Green Party policy.
