It is chocking as well as ominous to watch videos reporting those violent riots which have spread to a number of English cities, following the brutal murder of three little girls by a boy of 17, as they were attending a Taylor Swift danse arrangement in the English city of Southport last Monday.
Violence, vandalism and attacks on the police have for now more than a week been the everyday news and we watch with increasing worries how a - by and large - confounded police was bombarded with all kinds of weaponries and furious cries when attempting to hedge in the violence, while their police cars were set ablaze.
Such riots have no place in a democracy and such demeanour must naturally be denounced forcefully.
But that once said it is important to understand the backdrop of these riots. This is where Danish as well as English mainstream media have failed grossly, as this knife murder in Southport was merely the spark, setting fire to a tinderbox and false rumours as to the Muslim identity of the perpetrator did not change anything in this.
England has become a virtual tinderbox following decades of wholesale import of immigrants with a Muslim identity, which has – more so than in Denmark – made its negative and culturally conditioned stamp on the welfare state and on statistics of criminality not the least. Scandals implied in the rape and extortion of thousands of very young English girls by the widely ramified network of Pakistani grooming gangs is the most telling example of a development which have had serious consequences for – particularly – the English working class.
Yet political as well as more informal authorities like media and upper crust influencers have succeeded in suppressing critique and debates on developments in England exemplified par excellence by the almost merciless persecution of the champion of free speech in England Tommy Robinson.
But pressure creates counter-pressure which it has for a long time already, and this summer we have seen how badly it may turn out – but we have also seen the opposite: how democratic and civilized a form which such a protest can take. Two great demonstrations have taken place in London this summer with Tommy Robinson as the leading figure.
The Danish Free Press Society has been in London twice this summer participating in demonstrations arranged by Tommy Robinson. The first one took place June 1. with ‘Lawfare’ as its overall theme. Some 30.000 people attended in Westminster next to the Parliament while the second, ‘Unite the Kingdom’ on July 27. had twice as many attendants on Trafalgar Square.
Both demonstrations lasted a whole day featuring speeches, music and the showing of two of Robinson’s documentaries on the disintegration of England. His latest film ‘Silenced’, incidentally, had its premiere in Denmark last year, being shown at the Danish Parliament, Christiansborg in Copenhagen.
The aim of these protests was to gather the British population behind a demand of having that Britain back, which many feel they have lost, that is: a country with law and order, security and stability and – not the least – freedom of speech and democracy thereby safeguarding a future also for future generations.
The demonstration last Saturday in particular confirmed that Tommy Robinson does have his ears on the ground when he among other things explained, while speaking at the great Danish national meeting on the island of Bornholm in the ‘Frihedens Telt’, that England is in the middle of a ’Zeitenwende’ (Turn of Epochs) and that ever more people realize how badly it may turn out, if politicians in charge do not take action over against the trends and negative direction of affairs in England.
It was a heartening and at times moving experience for us to participate in these demonstrations, particularly in the last one. We met whole families: father, mother, children and dogs walking along. Beginning 12 o’clock the demonstration moved peacefully along Strand towards Trafalgar Square and it ended around 5 p.m. with everyone exposed to a blazing sun and listening to one speech after another, singing the hymn ’Jerusalem’ and praying together Our Father. They stood patiently and engaged for almost 2 hours watching Robinsons film ’Silenced’ documenting how failing local authorities in Kirklees tried to threaten and blackmail the whole local community into secrecy as to the truth behind an alleged racist attack on a Syrian refugee boy in the school yard.
This was nothing short of impressive. Especially impressive was it to see Tommy Robinson being able to assemble more the double the number of participants merely two months after a similar arrangement.
And everything was held in peace and good order not affording any instance forcing the – by the way – numerous police at Trafalgar Square to engage.
It is moreover strangely noticeable that two outstanding big demonstrations in the middle of London were not intensely covered by English media allowing the message of tens of thousands of demonstrators demanding England’s return as a democratic state of law and order to be echoed in the media.
But this did not happen. The demonstration of July 27 was like its predecessor June 1 generally ignored by the media as well as those political persons in power it was aimed at.
On the contrary: Tommy Robinson is now in England as well as in Denmark accused of being behind those violent riots which now spreads themselves from one city to the other. And that despite of him repeatedly – on the social media X - dissociating himself from this violence and advising people only to participate in peaceful demonstrations held within the limits set by Law and Order.
It is immensely tragical that media as well as those in power are neither interested in the motives behind this discontentment and these frustrations nor in taking these thousands of people in earnest, who show their concerns about their country in a peaceful protest. Motives identical in the peaceful and legal demonstrations in London – as well as in the violent and illegal riots in Southport, Sunderland, Bristol, Rotherham, Liverpool and other English cities.
Their sole interest is how to pin down the ever-growing concern to a few, radicalized thugs on the extreme right while trying to stifle Tommy Robinson by accusing him of terrorism and heaping one lawsuit after the other on him.
This is how politicians in power have deferred these concerns instead of finding solutions to them. And they might be successful at it this time too.
But the extent of the violent riots seen these days as well as the ever-increasing number of peaceful participants every time Tommy Robinson organizes yet another legal demonstration show how discontent is growing. Which in turn makes it altogether uncertain whether these protests can be repressed next time as well.
Unless, that is, totalitarian measures are put into uses curtailing civic freedoms. This, then, will be the end of an England ruled by Law and Order.
AIA FOG M.Sc. jur., Chairman of the Danish Free Press Society
MICHAEL PIHL M.Sc. hist., Vice chairman of the Danish Free Press Society
Thursday August 8, 2024, Editorial, Jyllandsposten
transl. lrb
