LOCKDOWN PROTESTS DURING COVID, 2021

This is the second part of a diary of the anti-lockdown campaign in London, from January to the Summer. Part one is here, and Part three is here.

At the beginning of the year a climate of fear had overtaken the country. Mass compliance with lockdown, social distancing and the suspension of everyday life was near total. But before long the facade of police repression began to crack.

25 February 2021 - Agamben and the pandemic

Joining David Alderson, Sharon Kinsella and the students in the Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Research in Arts and Languages (CIDRAL) seminar at Manchester University for a discussion of Giorgio Agamben, Foucault and the pandemic. I reviewed Agamben's collected Covid articles, here.

March 2021 - Sarah Everard murder and protests

Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered on 3 March by an acting police sergeant David Couzens. He had 'arrested' her on the pretext of enforcing the Covid regulation, as was heard later at his trial. Even before the circumstances were known, public feeling was outraged at the murder, and women's rights campaigners of Sisters Uncut held a vigil for Sarah Everard on 13 March, despite the police ban on public gatherings. The police tried to enforce the ban, arresting the vigil-goers. The scenes of police violence shocked the country, and were widely condemned. The policy of suppressing public gatherings was exposed.

15 March - Sisters Uncut outside Parliament

20 March 2021 - Worldwide Rally for Freedom

Already, the - now international - anti-lockdown campaign had planned to demonstrate on 20 March. Previous demonstrations had managed to get onto the road, but had mostly been broken up and dispersed by the police.

This time, the police were outnumbered and hesitant. The anti-lockdown protesters won the streets. Popular feeling was still hostile to the so-called 'Covidiots', but the movement had established itself. From 29 March some outdoor meetings (of up to six people) were allowed.

3 April 2021 - Campaign against the Police Bill

Under pressure to explain their attitude to the right to protest, the government had prepared a draconian Police Bill. The Bill systematised all the repressive measures that they had used to suppress the anti-lockdown campaign. After a protest in Bristol turned into a riot, #KilltheBill took to the streets in London.

The campaign was right to oppose the Police Bill - but it was undermined by its own sectarianism. Instead of relating to the (by this time much larger) anti-lockdown protests, #KilltheBill remained aloof and even hostile.

16 April 2021 - with Piers Corbyn in Soho

Bars were stretching the meaning of government regulations, so that on a cold spring evening in Soho, the streets were thronging with people who were barred from the inside, drinking in the street.

Piers Corbyn's 'No New Normal' campaign had put him up for London Mayor as a stunt, and was out and about in Soho to try to rally the drinkers. I wrote in defence of Corbyn's right to protest, but against his conspiracism, here.

24 April 2021 - the Unite for Freedom established as a force

After the success in March establishing the right to protest, the Unite for Freedom campaign pushed for opening up Britain. The following month restrictions on outdoor meetings were relaxed. Note that the campaign took up opposition to the Police Bill as part of its demands, making the Unite for Freedom marches the largest in Britain against the bill. I wrote about the march, here.

15 May 2021 - protesting at the BBC coverage

The campaign against Covid regulations was angry that the media had been resolutely one-sided throughout the pandemic, editing out any opinion that did not support the restrictions. They were angry, too, that their demonstrations were wholly ignored by the BBC and other mainstream media. This march took time out to rally outside the old BBC buildings in protest.

29 May 2021 - another big London demo

Though novelist Howard Jacobson was unimpressed, the campaign for freedom was by now articulating popular frustration at the restrictions on public life.

26 July 2021 - biggest march in London yet

Though marchers were often called anti-vaxxers there were different motives for opposing the Covid regulations. Some were anti-vaxxers, some were conspiracy theorists, but many on the march were vaccinated and in favour of vaccinations. They were opposed to the repressive goverment measures imposed in the name of fighting Covid.

24 July 2021 - Rally, and some confusion

The 24 July rally brought together a lot of the more conspiracy-theory minded parts of the campaign, but their speeches did not really connect with a movement that was more and more committed to freedom, not fear. Parts of the rally broke away to march on Parliament. On the way, they bumped into a Trans-rights March, which studiously avoided the anti-lockdowners!

The next stage in the struggle against the Covid-19 restrictions would take place over the Autumn and Winter. See here.