Thread by @Dotty_dot_dot

We had such a great turnout for Community Solidarity London's rally in support of healthcare workers today.

Unfortunately we were confronted by another #FreeDumbConvoy, but most problematically, confronted by the #ldnont police. A 🧵

Our amazing speakers, like @DirkaProut seen here, spoke about the need to support the healthcare workers on the front lines, while a stationary group of #convoy protesters nearby heckled "bullshit!"

We turned our attn to the road, encouraging drivers to honk in solidarity for healthcare workers and pro-science initiatives, in an effort to take back the narrative from the #ConvoyForFreedom2022, which has filled our streets with cries for anti-science, anti-democratic action

And then the #convoy arrived. As soon as the first vehicle approached, we took to the street to demand that they turn around. We did not want them to have access to St. Joe's Hospital, where patients and healthcare workers would be subjected yet again to that nuisance.

The #ldnont police immediately surrounded us, threatened us, pushed us, knocking at least one in our group to the ground. We protested at the crosswalk whenever the convoy was stopped at a red light but were eventually forbidden from doing so.

They blocked us in, allowing the #convoy to keep harassing our neighborhood. They claimed to be there to "protect us", but who are they really protecting?

The police claim they were *not* providing escort for the #convoy, but they did block lanes of traffic and provided them with an unobstructed route, so they rolled out the red carpet instead.