🧵PROTESTS: ARE WE GETTING IT RIGHT?🦠
I’m probably going to get pelters in some quarters for this but I feel it needs to be said.
I’ve often defended the protest organisers, however, I feel yesterday they got it badly wrong in London. Damagingly so.
I’m going to tell you why👇🏻
I’m probably going to get pelters in some quarters for this but I feel it needs to be said.
I’ve often defended the protest organisers, however, I feel yesterday they got it badly wrong in London. Damagingly so.
I’m going to tell you why👇🏻
When I attended the march back in April, the beauty was the sheer diversity of people in attendance (as I wrote about at the time).
June and July was the same. You don’t attract a diverse crowd like that by focusing on niche topics — you do it by targeting key central themes.
June and July was the same. You don’t attract a diverse crowd like that by focusing on niche topics — you do it by targeting key central themes.
https://twitter.com/james_townsend9/status/1386260034938679296
Themes like lockdown, like vaccine passports, and like bodily autonomy/mandatory vaccinations. Issues that have a solid foundation from which to argue our point of view; issues which, with some gentle persuasion, members of the public at large could/should get energised about.
The other thing I felt they were achieving was a clear purpose, demonstrated through growing numbers Apr-Jul. The June march drew criticism from some for being too long (fair point) but it did achieve it’s aim: to take our message to new London communities, deprived communities.
Yesterday in London, I’m not sure what the logic or the purpose was.
Firstly logistics: if you are going to have a static protest, keep it short and punchy. It was almost 3.5 hours of talking before the march started. That is poorly thought through, and ridiculous timing wise.
Firstly logistics: if you are going to have a static protest, keep it short and punchy. It was almost 3.5 hours of talking before the march started. That is poorly thought through, and ridiculous timing wise.
At a time when we needed to be engaging with members of the public about why vaccination passports are so dangerous & being that visible presence like we are when we march down Oxford St, we chose a static protest where, as many have said, speakers just preached to the converted.
But the most worrying aspect for me is this. These are the event flyers from:
• August 2020
• September 2020
• Yesterday (July 2021)
What do you notice?
Many of the same names speaking then, 11 months ago (when the movement was far smaller), appeared again yesterday.
• August 2020
• September 2020
• Yesterday (July 2021)
What do you notice?
Many of the same names speaking then, 11 months ago (when the movement was far smaller), appeared again yesterday.
There is a lack of imagination, firstly. But more importantly, to be frank, some of these speakers are simply never going to cut through to the masses (which must surely be our goal?)
David Icke, Kate Shemirani, Piers Corbyn, Katie Hopkins, Mark Steele.
What were they thinking?
David Icke, Kate Shemirani, Piers Corbyn, Katie Hopkins, Mark Steele.
What were they thinking?
Whether you, personally, agree with anyone I’ve just listed above is irrelevant.
The reality is that these people are not going to engage the mainstream public. And if it doesn’t reach the public at large, it remains a fringe movement with little impact. It really is that simple
The reality is that these people are not going to engage the mainstream public. And if it doesn’t reach the public at large, it remains a fringe movement with little impact. It really is that simple
In TWO months time, I like many of you, face being ostracised from society.
And yet instead of delivering a clear, compelling, and consistent message and plan around vax passports, the crowd were told about 5G weapon systems, satanists, demons, freemasons, and super prisons.
And yet instead of delivering a clear, compelling, and consistent message and plan around vax passports, the crowd were told about 5G weapon systems, satanists, demons, freemasons, and super prisons.
That is not me passing comment on any of those topics, or even speakers. That is me saying that the reality is that the movement needs far more unifying voices if it is going to continue advancing. I can think of 20 better candidates straight away, off the top of my head.
I would like to ask the organisers:
• what was the aim/purpose behind the event? And do you think you achieved it?
All I see are our detractors scoring easy points, and disheartened supporters.
And, how do you expect to keep the crowds diversity when the speakers are not so?
• what was the aim/purpose behind the event? And do you think you achieved it?
All I see are our detractors scoring easy points, and disheartened supporters.
And, how do you expect to keep the crowds diversity when the speakers are not so?
If this is the calibre of speaker we are attracting 11 months on, with the looming threat of vaccine passports hanging perilously over us, then what hope do we actually have? Where is our ambition? Our strategic thinking? Our creativity? Sorry, but I just didn’t see it yesterday.
Luckily, it was more productive in other areas. Kudos to those who marched to Brixton and received good feedback. Meanwhile rallies in places like Manchester and Birmingham (where I was at) were surprisingly well attended and took the message to different places & communities.
https://twitter.com/James_Townsend9/status/1418927708583694340
In Birmingham we had bus drivers ripping off face masks, hen parties cheering us on, motorists fist bumping, and teenagers climbing down from bridges to join in with the march. Slow progress maybe, but progress nonetheless.
And I said “surprisingly” but maybe it isn’t surprising
And I said “surprisingly” but maybe it isn’t surprising
I made a conscious decision to “go local” after being put off by the format and line-up at the London event. Scanning the hundreds of comments online, it seems like I was far from the only one.
Now, I’m not going to get into theories around “controlled opposition”, “shills” etc.
Now, I’m not going to get into theories around “controlled opposition”, “shills” etc.
I prefer to deal in facts & I have no evidence of some of the accusations thrown around.
But what I will say is: we are fighting a powerful enemy here and we need to *seriously* up our game.
We need strategy, ambition, and imagination. Yesterday felt like a real own goal.
ENDS
But what I will say is: we are fighting a powerful enemy here and we need to *seriously* up our game.
We need strategy, ambition, and imagination. Yesterday felt like a real own goal.
ENDS
#lockdownprotest #COVID19 #sydneyprotest #londonprotest #Corona #DareToThink #Covid_19 #Discrimination #EndLockdownsNow #EnoughIsEnough #freedomrally #ImDone #NoVaccinePassportsAnywhere #NoVaccinePassports #TrafalgarSquare #wewillALLbethere #UniteForFreedom #londonprotests
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