Anti lockdown protests yesterday.

[Tumbleweed101]

There is a lot being said on social media but not much in mainstream news which is interesting given how many people seem to have gone to the one in London at least. I understand there were some elsewhere in the country too.

Just curious if anyone took part
and what people think about the protests.

NHS & Gov't officials should reflect on what went wrong. Mitigation measures were destructive, not sustainable, & this is the result. Prospect of coercive passports not diffusing people's pain, distress and distrust

@TheVampiresWife genuine NHS staff have watched too many people die gasping for breath to be so selfish to join a march. We are months away to getting back to normal if people don't act like selfish morons.
Yellow stars just show the absolute idiocy of people. Racist, vile as well as selfish. If you matched with them then you are bad as them.

Saw these people in central London yesterday. There were lots of my tube without masks and they then roamed around the streets shouting freedom. They just came across as ignorant and disrespectful of others.

The ones who were wearing yellow stars. What were they thinking.

[quote mumsneedwine]@TheVampiresWife genuine NHS staff have watched too many people die gasping for breath to be so selfish to join a march. We are months away to getting back to normal if people don't act like selfish morons.
Yellow stars just show the absolute idiocy of people. Racist, vile as well as selfish. If you matched with them then you are bad as them. [/quote]
Agreed.

@Cornettoninja

You’re right - I do always qualify it, because I cannot pretend the nuances aren’t there. It would be easier for everyone (especially me!) if I just agreed with everyone here that drawing a comparison between nazi Germany and other situations (by wearing a star, for example) is automatically wrong and who cares if it’s Jewish people making the comparison or not. But that agreement would be at the expense of my integrity - because I know that not all Jewish people agree, and that line is not mine to police.

In other social justice contexts I’ve seen how totalitarian thinking and purity politics has wrenched movements apart, and I’ve vowed to never participate in them at the expense of nuance - even if that makes me unpopular or offends others. So if I seem stubborn about this, it’s because I probably am.

But anyway, I think you’ve raised fair points here @Cornettoninja, and it has made me think more deeply about this topic in particular.

From Twitter

The way some medics have become so authoritarian and illiberal during the pandemic stands out. They see themselves as the righteous and anyone who disagrees should be insulted, abused or locked up. The hypocrisy and anti-democratic nature of this stinks

Also seen tweets saying that maybe the NHS should be privatized after all. These attitudes are already starting to backfire.

Also (and I say this so often I sound like a broken record), these planks make life immeasurably harder for those who are genuinely exempt from wearing masks. People see a maskless face and assume the worst. So, friendly reminder that we're not like them, and a massive thanks for nothing to the idiots who put those of us who cannot wear masks in this position.

And no, you're not fighting for our rights to not wear one (an argument I've often heard), you're being a bunch of twats.

I dont agree with the response 'but what about NHS staff!' to emotionally blackmail people who have legitimate and fearful concerns about the direction the government is moving in. I have other people in my life who I care about the safety and future of and will fight tooth and nail to protect. I cannot constantly be responsible for the NHS staff and haven't caught covid or even phoned a GP during the entire pandemic, I've spent a year 'staying safe' and frankly I'm done. If that's selfish so be it.

Yes damn those bossy medics. How dare they risk their lives saving people, many dying in the process. What a bunch of nasty bastards eh ? Many are now leaving so you'll get your wish to see less of them.

@millenialblush and if you now catch it because 'you are done' I assume you won't expect those same medics to treat you ? Unfortunately the virus is 'not done'. It can still kill you.

You only have to listen to late night call in radio to get a taste of the type of people there are out there...

‘I’m not a conspiracist... but...’

My favourite are the ones who believe something because it’s on Facebook. Because ‘if it wasn’t true it wouldn’t be on there would it?’ (Yes - not in the BMJ or anything like that, eh?)

@millenialblush I completely agree, and it's therefore a shame that a march that was so poorly organised and featured such an array of unsavoury ideas and characters has merely detracted from the real issues at stake.

But I have never supported lockdowns or stay at home orders or wholesale business closures. I think in years to come the damage caused by lost education, businesses going to the wall, poverty, domestic violence and mental health issues will far outweigh covid
Herein lies the fallacy of all this.,

It isn't Covid or the economy and everything else.

Only once the Covid problem has been dealt with can the economy get back to normal.

The Government is obsessed with the economy but by fucking about for a year this has been so much worse than it needed to be.

Also, if anybody really thinks that these protests will change a thing other than push swing voters into Boris's arms then I think you are mistaken.

@mumsneedwine He was talking about the ones who have been guilt tripping and using emotional blackmail on Twitter. There are others working in the NHS who do not agree with the way they have been/are carrying on. NHS workers arent one big homogenous mass you know.

@JassyRadlett

Yes, it’s true that crowd numbers are hard to gauge while you’re in them, which is why I suggest people look up the drone footage on social media if they’re interested. I had no idea the march was so big until I saw the drone footage of the crowd stretched all the way across central London.

I’m not supporting any particular cause or group by showing up to a protest which was organised and attended by MANY different groups. All I’m doing is supporting the march aim - which was a stand against the erosion of civil liberties under the guise of public health measures.

Frankly, I find the lack of nuance here quite astounding.

If I happen to march among thousands of people and Lawrence Fox is there in the crowd does that mean he owns my soul- or my vote? Of course not. Does Piers Morgan get dibs on my second-born child because I happened to see him through the mists and smoke of the crowd?

‘Big tent’ politics is an actual thing, you know?

@ohnomoreno see other than 1 yellow star I actually didnt see this side at all, I saw thousands and thousands of happy, vibrant people singing, dancing and chanting through the streets. I am on twitter and in a few FB groups and everyone is saying how positive it was, some people did kick off in hyde park but it was a small minority. I will go to the next one and find out for myself though!

@mumsneedwine I am young, healthy, low weight, exercise and take my supplements. The chances of the virus killing me are 0.001%, despite what the media want me to believe. I'll take my chances rather than hide away forever thanks.

That’s ok - I’ll just tell my MIL to stay in a bit longer then. Because people with a lower risk ‘don’t wanna’ be responsible.

Frankly, I find the lack of nuance here quite astounding.

Suggesting there is nuance when it comes to racism is astounding.

If I happen to march among thousands of people and Lawrence Fox is there in the crowd does that mean he owns my soul- or my vote? Of course not. Does Piers Morgan get dibs on my second-born child because I happened to see him through the mists and smoke of the crowd?

I have been talking about the organising organisations of the march you attend and tacitly support.

‘Big tent’ politics is an actual thing, you know?

Big tent politics when the tent is big enough to accommodate racists doing racist things is frankly despicable.

@millenialblush good for you. Hope you're ok. Obviously you don't care about passing it on to anyone who is not as lucky as you, so well done. Oh and if you do contract it please have the decency not to go near a hospital.
I know a healthy 19 year old with covid lung complications. And a 16 year old who now needs lung transplant. But you're obviously immune to this so that's all ok.

As I’ve said, I’ve got clear red lines for my activism. I have extremely regretfully chosen not to lend my voice or presence to causes I’m absolutely passionate about because the organisers have crossed those lines. Any activity that creates space for racism is on the other side of those lines.

For me, that’s an important point of principle.

Obviously your red lines, if you have any, are very different.

@toffeebutterpopcorn if your MIL is high risk then she has the option of getting the vaccination. That's what it's there for. When are the lower risk allowed to carry on with their lives if threats not the case?

@millenialblush not all CV have had 2 vaccines yet. Couldn't you at least wait until they are protected ?

Me me me me me

[quote millenialblush]@toffeebutterpopcorn if your MIL is high risk then she has the option of getting the vaccination. That's what it's there for. When are the lower risk allowed to carry on with their lives if threats not the case?[/quote]
Your life is more valuable? You know that the jab of 100% effective do you? Would it actually kill you to keep away from where I live for a while longer? We didn’t ask you lot of congregate on our doorstep.