My son has gone on the march

[funkadelic]

Hi, have been on here years but only lurk, don’t post. But today is the day.
I am in bits. My 22yr old DS is in London on this march. I am shaking and utterly appalled. We differ on politics massively and have done for some time. I work in education, have travelled and am bit of a lefty hippy but to be honest it’s becoming more about values and morals. He is fully immersed in the manosphere algorithm and I’ve always thought he is exploring himself and things and have chats about why he has the opinions he does and try and understand his point of view. I try not to belittle him but try and get him to critically think about things.
But this I can’t deal with. I am so upset that my son has gone to this, and that it is something that is so far away from me and my values, something that I thought I had instilled in him as well.
I am totally aware that it’s triggered embarrassment but that is my issue and I’m not putting that on him. He is still my son and I love him and his passion and interest in the world, just in something I believe is so wrong and makes me sad.
Please talk some sense into me.

A local company is organising travel to this. Selling it as a nice day out on their public pages but posting it as the Tommy Robinson event on their closed group. If it's so great why are they being shifty about it? Even though I despise TR and everything he stands for I do accept the right to hold protests as part of a democratic society. However much people waffle on about being silenced etc taking people to a legal event is allowed so why not just advertise it? They know it's not a good look to a lot of people don't they? We are a very diverse area and I feel desperately sorry for anyone who innocently booked this thinking they're off to see the capital with their kids and ends up feeling or even actually being unsafe.

Is that you Tommy?

Although I totally agree with this and the right to March, protest etc its who this march is organised by that would worry me in terms of where on that scale views could land

In what way?

The ones who claim to be the most tolerant and open minded are invariably the exact opposite.

I miss the days when my uncles as Conservative voters and my father as a Labour voter would have long, respectful, measured discussions in which they focused on finding common ground. No insults or personal attacks.

And it was only twenty years ago. Shame most children now are seemingly expected to pick a side and toe the line - and woe betide them if their opinions differ from those of their parents.

The best thing you can teach him is tolerance and listening to other viewpoints. Don’t shut him off if you don’t want him to shut your views off.
Model tolerance, understanding, listening and respect for others and he’ll soon find his way as a more tolerant and open minded person.

I dont think this is the case for the majority. There will definitely be some moronic thugs there but there will also be many coming from a good place.

You think of all the immigrants left then “natives” would take these jobs back?

Have you heard of the windrush generation? Or do we want to go back more than 80 years?

Of course it has, to draw people in
Who organised it

The march you are attending is organised by Tommy Robinson.
The recently imprisoned, violent and racist far right thug,
Please educate yourself before calling people pathetic.

@smallpinecone it's very worrying isn't it
Especially as being left is viewed as morally right

Hopefully this labour governments shenanigans open their eyes to that aspect at least

If he is expressing his views peacefully and marching peacefully, just like the palestine sypathisers have marched and waved their flags, then he has every right to express those views, whether you agree or not, I am afraid.

Are you suggesting OPs son is either of those things? Are those the only possible explanations anyone might want to attend?

He's lying to you.

Does he live at home?

I looked it up and it appears to be about asserting England as a Christian country against Muslim 'invaders'.

So what has that got to do with celebrating freedom of speech?

Yes saw those!

It's a freedom of speech march ...my husband has gone on it. Not about hate. Dianne abbots lot will try to stir up trouble

They didn't call you a racist.

This. It’s very natural for young people to rebel against the opinions of their parents.

If he is the decent person you say he is underneath, I suspect he’ll be pretty appalled at the behaviour and language he will witness from some of the “protestors” today.

It could actually be worse if he went on a left wing march. Some of them have recently been calling for the murder of some high profile public figures.

From what I understand today’s march is about celebration not hate.

You’re a mind reader, amazing!

Yeah, demand to know whether he lives at home so you can advise OP to kick him out. That’ll teach him 😂

Hopefully he will realise that it's not actually a freedom of speech festival and come out of it thinking more critically about things.

You don't attend this type of event to "observe".

Tommy Robinson has been demonised as a racist purely because he exposed the grooming gangs ..