OffG’s Samuel May, aka Admin2, was in London for the Unite for Freedom protest, and shares his experiences and impressions.
It is estimated that approximately 10,000 gathered in Trafalgar Square to protest on 29 August. This may be an underestimate. I perched atop a portacabin to gain the footage of the turnout you see here, and later joined the march to Downing Street.
The most notable thing was the huge diversity of those attending. So many different ethnicities. So much varying dress sense, hinting at so many varied backgrounds.
Middle-aged, middle-class women who looked like they’d never attended a rally in their lives. Festival-wear-clad individuals with long hair, who looked like they probably had. Burly, vocal, tattooed gentlemen and professional-looking types. People old and young, although I would say young people were underrepresented at this demonstration.
The atmosphere was peaceful and welcoming. The sense of relief at being amongst a crowd of similarly-minded people, of feeling some safety in numbers for a brief and rare time, was visible on the faces of all those around.
The tone of the crowd, frequently chanting ‘Shame on you’ at police and establishment figures, was passionate and angry, but not at all violent. There was no hint of violence throughout the protest, reflected in the very low number of police arrests. I think it was two, including a gentleman in his 70s.
(Footage of the crowd at the Unite for Freedom protest in London on August 29th.)
The emphasis was that ‘we are the 99%’, and that ‘authority’ is only imbued with the power we, the people, choose to imbue it with.
Police presence in Trafalgar Square was minimal overall. The number of officers were gradually stepped up at the start, however many of these officers were withdrawn quite suddenly a bit later and didn’t return. Perhaps a decision not to intervene was reached.
Unfortunately police helicopters hovering overhead drowned out some of what was said by the speakers, from my position set some way back from the stage. However the speakers were all passionate and brave.
David Icke had real focus and the crowds responded well to him. His message was that the covid agenda is a distraction to take away our basic human rights, used by powerful people, and we need to stop this from happening. ‘You are being lied to’ he emphasised. He didn’t stray far off this topic and steered clear of more ‘out there’ theories. He’s been extremely strong on this issue from the start. He spoke passionately and well.
Kate Shemirani acted as a sort of MC, linking together the different speakers, and had plenty of valuable things to say.
Unfortunately I missed Dolores Cahill speaking and Vernon Coleman’s prerecorded address, but I managed to watch them later here and here. Both extremely powerful in their own contrasting ways.
Dr Kevin Corbett, former nurse, also spoke excellently, and raised some amazing points. Doctor Adil sounded like he was making a lot of sense, although he spoke quietly and much of what he said was drowned out by the helicopter rotors.
Chico really got the energy up with some splendid lyrical writing. Senator Dr Scott Jensen, via audio uplink, spoke strongly for a time, but a technical hitch seemed to cut his bit short quite quickly.
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Do I have any reservations? Yes, a few.
I work in theatre (well worked, until lockdown closed them all). If this was a theatre show I’d probably describe the actors as brilliant, but criticise the Director for lack of discipline in keeping the narrative spare and true.
I think keeping a narrow focus on the issue is important at the moment and unfortunately some of the speakers raised points that were irrelevant or self-contradictory or just pure speculation.
I heard declarations from Piers Corbyn and others that the virus wasn’t real or is virtually harmless juxtaposed with claims it’s actually caused by 5G and is part of a bid to kill us all. Well, which is it? Because it can’t be both.
Kate Shemirani also diverted at some length into how flu vaccines actually alter us genetically (turning us into ‘trans-humans’), the dangers of fluoride, as well as stating that the biggest killer of black people in America is abortion under the Planned Parenthood initiative.
Institutional paedophilia and Qanon-related theories were mentioned by Chico and other speakers.
One speaker also publicly shamed an individual for wearing a mask during the rally – which is of course exactly the type of intolerance we are opposing. The point is, surely, people must be free to choose – and if that means they want to wear a mask then they should be free to do so without being pilloried.
OffG has tended to avoid giving too much space to claims that Covid19 is caused by or linked to 5g. For much the same reasons I myself don’t conflate the two. I haven’t seen any substantial evidence to link the two issues, medically or otherwise.
I may be wrong, and I am open to correction, but since I don’t feel the covid statistics require an exotic explanation, and since it’s the ‘pandemic’ and subsequent measures that are the most immediate threat (as opposed to wider health/surveillance implications), I don’t believe 5g has a useful place in any anti-covid campaign, at this time. Likewise, Qanon stuff is not directly relevant.
Why blur the picture? Public perception of 5g skepticism is largely one of ridicule, so why risk discrediting a movement by bolting on this 5g side-issue? Why lend credence to the mainstream claim that SARSCOV2 is unique and dangerous and requires some exotic explanation, when all the evidence suggests it isn’t either of these things?
What I mean is, maybe Piers Corbyn et al would be better off organising a 5G demonstration, and leaving it out of this issue.
For the first time there is a real chance to reach many more people, to inform them that the facts about covid are being distorted, to encourage people to question and inform themselves.
In order to pay respect to the many whistleblowers who have put their careers in danger – and encourage the doubtless many more waiting in the wings – surely we have a duty to fight one battle at a time and keep it simple?
Why not stick to the basic fact that SARSCOV2 is demonstrated to be a largely harmless coronavirus, and encourage people to join us as opposed to seed divisiveness from the word go and risk alienating the very people we dearly wish to reach?
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These are my reservations, but they shouldn’t take anything away from the positive message this day of protest sends to all of us. Despite the avalanche of propaganda urging conformity, many, many people turned up – in London, Berlin and elsewhere – to express their refusal to be coerced and cowed into silence.
The strongest speakers stuck to a very clear message, a call to arms for people to question, question, question and oppose draconian social policy.
This was a terrific thing. And we should all take a positive message from it. Huge credit is due to the speakers, the organisers and all those who helped spread the word.
Original: Sam May – OFF GUARDIAN