During the height of the lockdown, Black Lives Matter descended on towns and cities across the UK. Early this month, members of Extinction Rebellion flouted government guidelines, chained themselves to railings outside parliament and resumed illegal methods of protest.

When Black Lives Matter protestors desecrated war memorials, assaulted officers and tore down statues, politicians and police “took the knee”. For anti-lockdown protestors this weekend, the story was very different. Police, in full riot gear, confronted the crowds and threw an elderly lady to the ground. 

 

Whatever the legitimacy of the protests, it is hard to ignore the different approach – personified by the response from London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who stood in solidarity with Black Lives Matter but brandished anti-lockdown protestors as engaging in “aggressive and violent behaviour”. 

In a desperate bid to appear “woke” and “anti-racist”, the protests have revealed the extent to which the police force, especially at a senior level, is becoming increasingly politicised. 

Far left groups have successfully lobbied politicians and the police for years. Remember last year when police officers danced with Extinction Rebellion protestors on Oxford Street? Black Lives Matter demonstrated that they have successfully intimidated politicians and police into appeasement. 

A shocking double standards has materialised between political protests which are considered “progressive” by the media and those that are not. 

UKIP calls for a fair and even-handed response from politicians and the police. Those who assault police officers and vandalise public or private property should be held accountable – no matter the cause for protest.