Notices by Daniel Durrans (dan@mastodon.durrans.com), page 2

12/n

It wasn't all flags and chants...

#London #Protest

15/n

Many tourists were caught up in the protests, hiding in shops and doorways as the events ebbed and flowed around them. This is the heart of our capital city, and for many it was shocking and scary.

#London #Protest

14/n

I don't normally censor faces in my photography, but I am also aware that Antifa specifically do not consent to being photographed and I felt that this was an interesting enough photo to post.

#London #Protest

17/n

A beer bottle flies over the heads of police and protesters in a spray of foam. It will shortly land in the middle of the antifascist group. One of many bottles thrown during this stage of the encounter.

#London #Protest

16/n

Amongst the shouting, the flag waving, the placard carrying, and the chants of protest you can find little moments of humour.

In here, life is beautiful.

#London #Protest

18/n

My overall takeaway is that there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the government from both sides and that normal people are starting to become motivated to make their voice heard. I am hugely concerned for the future and hope that Labour do something over the next 4 years to improve the lives of everyone in the UK, otherwise we will be in for a very rough ride.

#London #Protest

2/n

Everyone thinks Kier Starmer is a wanker. Left and right are absolutely aligned on this. Probably for very different reasons, but Labour have a serious leadership problem that they need to acknowledge and address. It will lose them the next election.

#TommyRobinson #London #Protest

Reflections on yesterday's protests in #London. 1/n

Background info:

I like photographing protests. It's a hobby and I have been doing it for over 10 years. Mainly in Bristol and London. My politics are left, but I try to suppress my bias when behind the lens - not always an easy thing to do.

I went to London specifically to photograph the protests. I arrived at about 10am and left at about 6. I spent most of my time amongst ‘Tommy' supporters - unusual for me as generally I walk amongst the ‘left’. Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, The Strand, and Northumberland Avenue was my patch for the day - apart from when the rain came and I spent a nice half hour browsing in Waterstones.

The following reflections are my random thoughts about the day based on what I saw, my own personal bias, and what I have seen at recent protests.

4/n

The Unite the Kingdom rally felt professional. Remember the anti-Brexit protests where there were big screens down Whitehall, a stage, camera crews, sound engineers, people who know how to host an event? Now picture exactly the same set-up but for yesterday. It must have cost quite a bit - I don't know how much it costs to rent a big TV screen mounted on a crane but I am guessing it's not cheap.

Walking further along Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square there was another smaller stage with a few speakers stacked on top of each other. This was the ‘left’s' patch and it looked like something you would find at a village fete.

#London #Protest

3/n

There was a surprising (to me) emphasis on Christianity in the Unite the Kingdom rally. I am aware there is likely to be US money involved here, but I was a little taken aback at the amount of wooden crucifix being carried along, flags proclaiming the word of christ, chants and slogans about England being a christian country.

It's hard to know if these are strongly held beliefs, or that there were just enough believers in the crowd to make it look pervasive. Still, it was a far cry from ‘christian for christmas' that I usually associate with England.

At one point a lad got up on one of the stone lions adorning Westminster bridge and was given a huge cheer when he held aloft a crucifix in one hand and an England flag in the other.

#London #Protest

5/n

Prior to the speeches the mood amongst the 'right' was relatively jovial. I struggle to describe it without resorting to using stereotypes, but something akin to the following might paint a picture:

- Football supporters before a big game
- Lads night out / stag night in a big city between 3pm and 7pm (had some beers, not drunk yet)
- Benidorm in the height of summer

As for the chants:

- Eng-ger-lund, Eng-ger-lund, Eng-ger-lund
- Oh Tommy Tommy, Tommy Tommy Tommy Tommy Robinson
- Kier is a wanker, Kier is a wanker, na na na na
- Stop the boats (although not chanted as much as I was expecting).

There was also echos of the ‘left's chants such as “Whose streets, our streets" although this was the exception not the norm.

The chants are non-committal. With the exception of stopping the boats, they don't commit to any particular demand.

#London #Protest

6/n

There were a lot of “normal" people on the ‘right’. Yes there were groups of lads, groups of people looking a little too serious, groups of people wearing lots of baker-boy caps, and groups shouting about ‘Our Tommy’.

But there were also children, families, and “normal" people you might see on any protest. This shouldn’t be underestimated. There is a message here that is appealing to many who might not ordinarily come out and protest.

I think they are dissatisfied after over a decade of Tory austerity and an underwhelming Brexit. Dissatisfied that they still feel worse off under Labour. Dissatisfied that they can't get a GP appointment, or a place for their child in the school they want. Dissatisfied and with little hope for the future. Then along comes Reform with a message of hope, and all that needs to be done is to stop the boats.

#London #Protest

People used to use a VPN to pretend to be in the UK when they are slapping on lotion in Spain.

Now people use a VPN to pretend to be in Spain when they are slapping on lotion in their bedroom.

I took my vintage (600 series) #Polaroid camera to #Bristol #Pride on Saturday and all I got were these bloody awesome photographs! You were all fabulous!

Thoughts or prayers.

You can't have both.

@kly @aeva I hope you have some subdomains set up?

Chocolate.
Strawberry.
Banana.

@sand it’s a bit of a pickle isn’t it.

@skinnylatte Oh! The one bagging community love those things. I have had to stop reading that subreddit for fear of buying more bags.

A little worried I had gone through a speed camera a little too quickly, so I:

Pulled the dashcam footage (it doesn't overlay speed).

Measured the distance along the white markings using Google Maps.

Cropped the video clip in iMovie to start/end as I crossed the start/end of the markings.

Calculated that I was probably going 27mph (under the limit).

My brain can rest easy for the remainder of the day.

@georgetakei Pope Leo the Woke.

A badge of honour.