Freedom march today.

[Baluchistan95]

Anyone going?

Because the government are in London and not a sleepy little market town maybe? Or because transport to London is more accessible than a little town?

Do you care about your workplace, or your home? Most people care more about their home. The government won't be in London. It's the weekend. Boris, for example, will be in Chequers - in the countryside.

There are these things called coaches. They transport people across the country to all kinds of events. Including protests.

They are marching about a corrupt government who have mishandled yet profited from this pandemic.
If this is what they're marching about, they are not getting their message across very effectively.

@wondersun

I think the anti lockdown marchers must secretly love a lockdown 🤭🤭

Oh most definitely

It is a nice day for a walk around London. So jolly good. Go for it. All I ask is marchers try and be respectful of the general public or police etc doing their job. Also no yellow stars this time or anything else abusive or racist. If you see this stuff whilst out you have a moral duty to address it too.

Freedom from what? We’re not in lockdown anymore. Freedom from science and vaccines?

@TruelyStruttingHotpants

It is a nice day for a walk around London. So jolly good. Go for it. All I ask is marchers try and be respectful of the general public or police etc doing their job. Also no yellow stars this time or anything else abusive or racist. If you see this stuff whilst out you have a moral duty to address it too.

Yes let's hope the racists stay away this time.

Hope too that this time they refrain from verbally abusing, harassing, and intimidating everyday locals going about their business - shopping, visiting relatives, caring for somebody vulnerable, queuing for a vaccine.

No violence against police this time either.

Several hundred k marched last time.
Official figures put it at maximum 30,000. Not several hundred thousand. I agree it didn't move the figures much, if at all though.

I didn't know about the march until this thread.
Mostly I don't have these conversations with anyone.

The opinions I do hear most often are scathing about people who don't want the jab, happy that those persons who don't have the jab should have massively less access to services, travel, education, family life. Forever and ever, I guess.

I can't agree with that perspective so I mute them. Feeling very glad the march is happening. Even if they are conspiracy theory nutjobs mostly. They are standing up in part for things I believe in, too.

Yes! There were 204,326 people there

believe me

Yes let's hope the racists stay away this time.

Hope too that this time they refrain from verbally abusing, harassing, and intimidating everyday locals going about their business - shopping, visiting relatives, caring for somebody vulnerable, queuing for a vaccine.

Don't worry, I'm told Jezza won't be making an appearance!! As for the police refraining from verbally abusing, harassing, and intimidating everyday locals going about their business - I hope so too. However, judging by their behaviour at the Sarah Everard vigil, I'm afraid its anyones guess how they choose to behave.

I think we need to look at the march like this:

A lot attending probably don't normally follow the rules or wear masks anyway. Therefore at least marching they are not in shopping centres, pubs or each others houses. Spreading the virus about. They are outside all day mostly. Where transmission is lower. So helping to stop the spread

They are outside all day mostly

Except for when they're travelling on London's crowded poorly ventilated tube, and the public transport they use (mostly trains) to get to and from the city.

That is true Tea. Even as I was writing the post I was aware of this. I just think tfl is set up to deal with the crowds. They will close stations to disperse people better. It is all a hassle for locals and those travelling to work. However we deal with this for football matches and occasions 🤷‍♀️

@MareofBeasttown

This weekend, I plan to eat out, go to a museum, see a friend, sit in a cafe, and do some shopping while the freedom marchers protest about not having any freedom.

When you put it like that .......

Have you been vaccinated OP? Out of interest.

Of course not.

The logic of those that protest against lockdown but also refuse to engage with the tools that are designed to prevent further lockdowns.

@somgreatapollo

At the last March the police had plain clothes officers and paid agitators causing trouble. These were the precise same tactics they used against the poll tax marchers in the 90s and miners strikes in the 80s. All intended to discredit a largely peaceful march and sway public sentiment. This in a supposed Liberal democracy. Note also the complete blackout from the BBC about the march.

The BBC had reports about the march on the day. People on mumsnet claimed this then. So others posted links

I think even if you believe that the police had people planted. You can't possibly believe the yellow star people photographed or the people that physically assaulted police officers and put them in hospital are plants.

As if the Government or the waste majority of the public care about a "freedom march" - people on it should realise that when most people hear the word's "vaccine passport", they think "brilliant, I can do x,y.z or go on holiday!" not "this is an outrage etc etc"

No, because I'm not thick. That lot are just out for a jolly and prosecco anyway.

@TruelyStruttingHotpants

That is true Tea. Even as I was writing the post I was aware of this. I just think tfl is set up to deal with the crowds. They will close stations to disperse people better. It is all a hassle for locals and those travelling to work. However we deal with this for football matches and occasions 🤷‍♀️

Yes, I guess they're used to it...because protests are ten a penny and nothing to see in London, which is why people truly interested in attention for their cause would go somewhere new.

It's just such a shame the disruption of closed stations will make life difficult for people trying to visit or care for vulnerable family or take someone to hospital (or get to work in a hospital) - or get on with enjoying their...freedom...to go out to eat, drink, see friends...

Still you're right that tfl are well prepared and used to crowd control so that's something I guess.

They've engaged for 15 months.
We all have

@somgreatapollo it's almost as if we're dealing with a infectious disease pandemic that isn't adhering to your timescales?

Refusing the vaccine AND not engaging with suppression measures like going to big protests without distancing is a surefire way of increasing transmission and prolonging the situation