On Saturday, July 4, 2026, two contrasting gatherings took place in Liverpool. A small anti-immigration protest of about 50 people assembled outside the Royal Oak pub on County Road before marching towards the city centre under a significant police presence, including mounted officers. Some protesters chanted slogans at a handful of counter-protesters, and one demonstrator carried a St George's flag bearing the words 'Send them back'. Retired social worker Silé Macraghnaill, 72, said local people were 'fed up' with such scenes.
Hare Krishna Festival of Chariots Draws Hundreds
Meanwhile, just a short distance away, around 150 people gathered for the Hare Krishna Festival of Chariots, a vibrant celebration that filled Church Street with colour, music, and dancing. The annual procession began at 12.30pm and featured a beautifully decorated chariot, joyful mantra chanting, traditional dancing, and free vegetarian meals, creating an atmosphere of warmth and welcome across the city centre.
The festival reflects the growth of Liverpool's Hare Krishna community. A small group of monks from Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford – a temple donated by George Harrison – came to Merseyside around 18 months ago to establish a community and share opportunities for spiritual practice. The Hare Krishnas are devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, founded in New York in 1966 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Followers believe Krishna is the Supreme Lord and seek to cultivate lives centred on compassion, devotion, and love.
Attendees Share Messages of Unity
Among those in attendance was Krishna Kripa Das, an American who flew from Paris to attend the festival. He told the ECHO: 'We just want everyone here to feel happy. We are all children of God, there are no borders and we are all equal.' Alongside him was Elizabeth Varga, whose spiritual name is Hari Nama, meaning 'touch stone'. She travelled from London to celebrate, something she has been doing for 35 years. She said: 'Everyone is poking at each other, but we're all fishermen and we're all fishing together. The different religions can throw a massive spanner in the works and create chaos within Christianity, but God consciousness creates harmony. A lot of people are falling down because they are serving something else. Today is about celebrating the love of the universe.'
Pancha Tattva Das, 25, who lives with other community members at the Inner Guru community centre in Walton, spoke about his beliefs. Explaining what drew him into the faith, Pancha said: 'When I was around 18, I moved to London as an aspiring musician. But I found more and more that it wasn't really where I wanted to put my energy in life. It wasn't fully satisfying, so I was getting more and more involved in meditation, spiritual practices and looking at religion. And then when I came across the Hare Krishna community, everything just seemed to coalesce. There's the community, there's the philosophy, there's the meditation, and the music as well.'
Community Growth in Liverpool
Pancha noted that many people still don't know much about Hare Krishnas, but those close to him have noticed how the community has changed him. He said: 'Lack of knowledge is one thing. Many people just have no idea what it is. But my family and my friends have really seen me grow, and they're very supportive. Ultimately, with people who love you, they want to see you happy, and when they see that, they become very curious themselves.'
The idea for expanding their base in the city and hosting more events was sparked by a question from a woman. Pancha said: 'We used to always travel around the UK, meeting different people, teaching, distributing books. We always found Liverpool had such incredible energy and we'd always have the best response in Liverpool. There was one particular day when one lady said, “George has given you a whole temple, but what have you done for Liverpool?” And so the seed was planted. At the end of 2024, a group of us moved here. Initially it was three monks. Now it's expanded to six.'
