CORBYN’S RABBLE BRINGS CHAOS TO UK
Tens of thousands protest against Boris’s Commons suspension
TENS of thousands of protesters brought disruption to Britain’s major cities yesterday in mass demonstrations against the Prime Minister’s controversial decision to suspend Parliament.
The hard-Left group Momentum urged members to occupy bridges and blockade roads as protests took place in 32 cities, including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle.
The Stop The Coup marches, organised by anti-Brexit campaign group Another Europe, saw thousands of people waving EU flags and carrying placards that vowed to ‘defend democracy’.
In extraordinary scenes, several hundred activists marched on Buckingham Palace in anger at the Queen for signing off the suspension of Parliament.
At Trafalgar Square, police made three arrests after dozens of protesters sat in the road.
Outside Downing Street, where demonstrators flooded the streets chanting, ‘Boris Johnson, shame on you’, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell described the Prime Minister as a dictator.
‘We have defeated dictators in the past in our history and we will defeat this dictator,’ he said. Each mention of Mr Johnson’s name was greeted with pantomime boos.
More than 2,000 protesters gathered in Glasgow’s George Square, where UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told them: ‘I’m proud to be here with all of you… to say to Boris Johnson: no way, it’s our Parliament. No way do you take us out without a deal – we will stop you and give the people their rights and their say to determine their future.
‘Demonstrations are taking place everywhere because people are angered and outraged about what is happening.’
Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said: ‘We have seen steadily the normalisation of extreme ideas.’
Michael Chessum, the protest organiser for Momentum, pledged daily demonstrations outside Parliament from tomorrow.
Fellow Momentum militant Laura Parker, a former private secretary to Mr Corbyn, earlier told Radio 4 that the PM had been ‘elected by a handful of extremists’.
But Mr Johnson urged protesters to respect the result of the 2016 referendum. He told Sky News: ‘My message to them is that I think the worst thing for democracy now would be to cancel the referendum which is what some people are now suggesting – to nullify, to annul that result, to tell people that they were going to be ignored, after all the promises that have been made.
‘It will do lasting and catastrophic damage to the major parties in this country and I think this political generation won’t be forgiven for failing to honour that promise.’
Among the activists arrested for blocking traffic in Trafalgar Square was Green Party London Assembly member Caroline Russell. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott told crowds: ‘We cannot allow Boris Johnson to shut down Parliament and to shut down the voice of ordinary British people.’
After speaking at a demonstration in her Brighton constituency, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas thanked those who turned out to protest, adding: ‘This is what democracy looks like.’
In Oxford, protesters gathered outside Mr Johnson’s old college, Balliol, to demonstrate.
The foundation set up in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered just a week before the 2016 Brexit vote, called on protesters not to let their anger turn to violence.
In a statement, it said: ‘Emotions are running very high across the country this weekend, with many people extremely angry about the latest parliamentary moves over Brexit.
‘While this is understandable, we are concerned that this anger should not spill over into something more dangerous.’
Earlier in the week, protesters drew widespread criticism after posting the address of a pub near Jacob Rees-Mogg’s home where they planned to meet before targeting the Commons Leader.
Last night, the petition against the Prime Minister’s decision to prorogue Parliament had reached 1.6 million signatures.
‘Worst thing would be to annul referendum result’