Activist ‘Young Bob’ Assaulted During Street Debate

​A public political debate in Manchester city centre turned violent when right-wing activist Gregory Moffitt, known online as “Young Bob,” was assaulted and robbed by a crowd.

​Moffitt was hosting an open-air discussion inspired by conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s “Change My Mind” format. Setting up a stand beneath a banner reading “Reform should be more radical,” the activist was engaging passersby on highly controversial topics, including immigration, colonisation, and “remigration.”

​The atmosphere grew hostile when Moffitt argued that individuals from former British colonies should not hold an automatic entitlement to settle in the United Kingdom. As onlookers began throwing water at him, Moffitt challenged the crowd, calling them “cowards” who “don’t actually want to fight for what you believe in.”

ADVERTISEMENT

​The verbal altercation escalated rapidly after a member of the crowd threatened to fight him. Shortly after, a crowd surrounded the activist. Video footage captured on social media shows Moffitt being kicked to the ground, where he curled into a protective foetal position. The assault only ceased when an unlikely ally—a man who had been debating Moffitt moments earlier—intervened to shield him from the attackers.

​During the melee, Moffitt’s phone was smashed, and thousands of pounds of equipment, including two cameras, his banner, and a chair, were stolen or destroyed.

​”Both of the cameras I had on the day have been broken or stolen,” Moffitt said after the attack. “They stole some of my stand equipment… [The police] described the incident as by far the most high-profile assault case they’d seen.”

​Greater Manchester Police confirmed that officers attended the scene and quickly arrested three individuals—two youths and an adult in their twenties—on suspicion of robbery and assault. The investigation remains ongoing.

​Moffitt has quickly risen to prominence within Britain’s anti-immigration movement, earning social media signal-boosts from high-profile right-wing figures such as Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson. Despite the violence, which he blamed on “migrant lads being egged on by left-wing agitators,” Moffitt insists he will not be silenced.

​Reflecting on the occupational hazards of his street activism, Moffitt noted he has previously had bottles of urine, glue, and cans of beans thrown at him. He plans to return to the exact same spot in Manchester to continue his debates, though he noted he will be accompanied by a “team of lads” for personal security next time.