London: massive demonstration against immigration
More than 100,000 people took to the streets of London on Saturday in response to a call by British right-wing extremist Tommy Robinson. Alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right-wing politicians from all over Europe, including France's Éric Zemmour, incited resentment against foreigners, the media and the British government. The commentaries reflect dismay, but not surprise.
The pendulum is swinging back
Delfi columnist Andrius Užkalnis saw the protests coming:
“People in London took to the streets not because they were driven there by radical hooligan Tommy Robinson, but because the mood in society had reached a boiling point and was ready to explode. Since the pandemic, the British government has been pushing through increasingly strict programmes aimed at controlling ideas and freedom, the Labour Party has gone ballistic, and now the most popular political force in Britain is Nigel Farage's radical right-wing Reform UK party. ... As always, the pendulum will swing just as strongly to the right as it did before to the left.”
Build up a strong anti-racist front
Labour must stop imitating the far-right, Birgün demands:
“This march will go down in history as the biggest fascist demonstration in England since the 1950s. ... Unless a strong and united anti-racist front is formed this mobilisation on the streets, combined with the political rise of [the right-wing populist party] Reform UK, could shift the balance in the far right's favour. Which course prevails depends on whether the Labour Party stops copying Reform UK and finds solutions to the real problems instead and whether the trade unions, women's movements and social alliances can create a stronger common ground.”
Union Jacks to sow division
The Irish Independent is alarmed by the high number of Union Jacks:
“In London at the weekend, the Union Jack was everywhere, part of the huge anti-immigration protest that turned central London into a stage for nationalist anger. Flags were not there to celebrate victory, but to intimidate, to divide, to mark boundaries of who belongs and who does not. ... A flag now feels less like celebration and more like warning. The far-right sentiment roaring through Britain is not contained. It crosses borders in moods, in symbols, in rhetoric.”