British racists held another miserable rally this weekend
- Text by Alex Robert Ross
- Photography by Theo McInnes
Racists in Britain haven’t got much going for them, really. In fact, organising rallies and marches has long been their primary method of spreading their prejudice and hate.
So when far-right group Britain First gathered in South East London on Saturday, they were hoping the turnout would be pretty significant. The racist group had planned a “static protest” outside Bromley Police station in South London to show support for their two of their leaders – Paul Golding Jayda Fransen- who currently face charges of “racially motivated harassment”. No more than 50 people showed up. A counter-protest, set up across the street and divided from the Britain First protest by dozens of police officers, was at least twice the size.
The protest involved familiar scenes: Britain First protestors clutched Union Jacks and sang “I Vow to Thee My Country”, while counter-protesters held up signs that read “No to racism” and “Never Again: No to the Nazis.”
The protest was called after Gulding and Fransen were told to register at Bromley Police Station every Saturday at 2PM as a condition of bail following their arrest. The charges were filed after an investigation relating “to the distribution of leaflets in the Thanet and Canterbury areas, and the posting of online videos during a trial held at Canterbury crown court the same month,” police said in September.
The protest was originally supposed to move down Bromley High Street, but was blocked by police in advance. One man was arrested after the protest on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.
Photographer Theo McInnes headed down to document the small bunch of racists holding a small racist march.
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