Yesterday evening I attended my first real protest. I've always been politically driven and wanted to go to a protest but could never get myself up to join one. Big crowds and tight places really aren't my thing and it drives my anxiety high. However, when I read that a flash protest was going to be held in Leeds against Boris Johnson and his undemocratic coup, I had to attend. I had to use my voice. My presence matters.
I arrived an hour early and there was literally no one. I thought I made my way for no reason. I waited around on a bench as people started filling up the square. An EU flag here and an EU shirt there, people were arriving to join the protest. Next thing I know the square is full of people, all with one goal: stopping Boris Johnson from pushing through a no deal Brexit.
People arrived with their placards. There was even an EU dog. The crowds and tight spots didn't drive my anxiety high, thankfully. It all felt really comfortable. Like I should be here. This is what I have always meant to be doing. I, jokingly, tried to start a chant in my monotone voice. "BOLLOCKS TO BREXIT... BOLLOCKS TO BREXIT". No one joined in. How sad. But I was having fun.
I walked around checking out the different placards but really we were all just awkwardly standing around. After a while someone started talking on a mic but we couldn't hear a word he was saying. Every now and then I'd hear "Boris" or "Trump" and I'll boo. People were clapping and cheering but I wasn't going to cheer for something I could barely hear. We couldn't hear as the speakers were on the floor. These poor souls lifted up the speakers which allowed us all to hear and then it started to feel like a rally.
A bunch of people got up to say what they felt. Some were just politically calculated, especially the guest speakers. When the rally turned into an open mic, the words really connected. It was much more emotional. More real. These were the feelings of the people. These people weren't there speaking to gain political points, as they're not politicians. They're just people. Whether old or young, their words were inspiring.
I didn't agree with everything that was said. People talked about how great the UK and EU are. I think we're very overrated and even though I agree with remaining in the EU, it needs change. People also talked about our "great democracy" and how Boris is killing our democracy. I think our democracy is disgracefully bad and the fact that Johnson is doing all this legally just shows how bad it is. (Post on British democracy coming soon. Stay tuned.)
A woman got up whose daughter has breast cancer. Her daughter relies on medication. They have been told to stock pile up on medication due to no deal Brexit. However, that's not possible. You can't just turn up to get medication in advance. It's just not possible. People like her who rely on medication are at risk because of the actions of Johnson. A no deal Brexit will be catastrophic for them.
An elderly man, born in 1945, got up to talk. He spoke about how he met soldiers coming back from WWII, who fought to defend democracy. After him a little girl got up. She was 10 years old. She spoke about how she's involved in fighting climate change. People of all ages are out fighting this battle. There were talks from a number of people from older generations and younger generations. It was actually great to see how passionate these young people were. They wanted to make a change and were doing something about it.
All these people came out to fight massive injustice. No one voted for a no deal Brexit. No one voted to make this country poorer. No one voted to risk the lives of the most vulnerable. But that's what we're getting because of this government. We're getting the most cruel Brexit possible. People will die because of a no deal Brexit. Thousands of people are going to lose their jobs. Homelessness is going to increase.
We need to stop this from happening. We have to fight. Everyone is responsible. Get out there. Use your words. Write to your MPs. Tell them to organise a sit in. Let Johnson know we're here and we're not going to fall over easily. You shut down parliament, we shut down the country. Stop the coup.
Thank you.
Aleha