‘Unite the Kingdom’ / Tommy Robinson march

Constituents have been in touch specifically with regard to the so-called ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march in September. We must respect the right to free speech, the right to march & the right to organised protest.

The country has recently protested about Trump, Gaza & welfare reforms. I marched in protest against BREXIT. There is clearly an increasingly potent mood in the country that things are not working. Whilst some have legitimate complaints, others are using this discontent to drive xenophobic, racist, sexist & anti-democratic views. 

British Police were injured at this most recent far-right rally and I support them in bringing these thugs to justice. However, I was struck by comments by the Labour MP Clive Lewis, who made it clear there were many people on the march who did not hold racist views. I explained in my response on social media, ‘Progressives must offer a compelling narrative - beyond simply opposition to Farage - to counter the Hard Right’s all too seductive lies, fantasies & scapegoating’ - a comment picked up by the Times journalist Ed Lucas in an article last month. 

Individuals like Elon Musk & Tommy Robinson, who both spoke at the march, are dangerous rabble rousers. As a former member of the BNP & key figure in the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson is no more than a far right thug, who has spent much of his life pushing an agenda of hate against many in our society. Musk feeds off the attention he appears to crave and clearly has anti-democratic views which he has encouraged in others. 

However, banning such people from speaking & marching is counter-productive, illiberal and will only serve to push their activities further into the shadows and beyond scrutiny. I know some have called for banning Musk from travelling to the UK. I do not support this as it allows him to go unchallenged. Indeed, the Lib Dems plan to table a motion when Parliament returns summoning Musk to appear before MPs to be held to account for his actions at the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally and is asking the relevant authorities to investigate comments he has made on social media platforms. In many cases, being banned is what spokespeople for the far-right want.