The 7 Types Of Protester Who Attend An Anti-Lockdown Rally
On Saturday, thousands of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in what was billed as a “We Do Not Consent” protest.
Just what exactly those attending did not consent to was not immediately clear – pictures from the day show signs objecting to a wide variety of things, from masks to child sex-trafficking.
So what is going on?
For anyone angry at any aspect of the coronavirus pandemic and the UK’s response, your options for protest are limited almost entirely to groups willing to risk mass gatherings and the potential spread of the virus that goes with it.
Currently this means the largest events are being organised by those who believe the whole thing is a hoax.
And while there certainly are a large number of people in attendance with some wild ideas, the full picture is a little more nuanced.
Here are seven different types of protester at the event.
The lockdown sceptic
Greg* and his wife Theresa* were at Saturday’s march because of concerns legislation brought in to fight the pandemic amounts to a “destruction of our democratic rights”.
“The government are making decisions under the emergency acts that are not being debated in parliament and I don’t agree with it,” Greg says.
“I think it’s absolutely wrong.”
This turned out to be a view shared far beyond the confines of Trafalgar Square: Boris Johnson himself was this week facing a rebellion from backbench Tory MPs trying to ensure new restrictions were subject to Commons votes before being introduced. In the end, health secretary Matt Hancock attempted to meet the rebels halfway, saying any national lockdown would be debated by MPs “where possible” but steering clear of the same commitment for local lockdowns – that is, currently all the lockdowns.
Greg also worries that further lockdown restrictions could do more damage than the virus itself and it should be up to the individual, not government, to decide what to do.
“I agreed with the initial lockdown because we didn’t know or...
