COVID-19 anti-lockdown protests in the United Kingdom

On 20 April, two anti-lockdown protesters had a stand-off with police on the roof of Shrewsbury College; they were then arrested.[2] On both 25 April and 1 May, Piers Corbyn — the brother of former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn — was present at anti-lockdown protests in Glastonbury.[3] On 25 April, Corbyn said to the 30 to 100 other protesters: "We know there's no pandemic... We all know the lockdown has failed us. It has caused misery... We'll have more deaths from loneliness, suicide and people being kept out of hospital".[4]

A group of around 20 people, which included some young children, held a peaceful protest and defied social distancing rules outside New Scotland Yard on 2 May.[5] Another protest was held by a group of between 40 and 50 people on Lambeth Walk, near Westminster Bridge, on 9 May. A number of people were arrested and fixed penalty notices were issued by the police.[6]

Protests against the United Kingdom's COVID-19 lockdown, to be held across the country in the weekend of 16 May, in cities such as Manchester, Bristol, Leicester and Southampton, were advertised online, produced by the UK Freedom Movement, an online group.[7] On 15 May, former leader of the far-right group Britain First Jayda Fransen was associated with that apparent anti-lockdown movement circulating online due to her registration as director of Freedom Movement Ltd with Companies House,[8][9] but Fransen has denied any involvement.[10][9] On Saturday, 16 May, 50 anti-lockdown and anti-vax protesters defied social-distancing rules at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, including Piers Corbyn. There were further smaller protests on the same day in Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and other cities across the country.[11]

A small anti-lockdown protest took place along Hove seafront on 18 May.[12] A protest the next day was held at Hampstead Heath, who demanded the reopening of its ponds as council had refused to reopen them.[13] This was followed by another protest on 23 May that was held on Clapham Common, with around 20 protesters calling for the lockdown to come to end and for children to only return to school if there is "no social distancing".[14] Another protest was held at Hyde Park on 30 May.[15][16][17]

Thousands gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on 29 August as a part of the Unite for Freedom movement to protest against lockdown restrictions and the possibility of a mandatory vaccine.[18] Prominent speakers included the conspiracy theorists Kate Shemirani, Piers Corbyn and David Icke. A flyer for the event focused on the extension of what Unite for Freedom deem a "draconian extension of controls" over the population.[19][20][21][22]

Mark Steele and Kate Shemirani addressed a crowd at Trafalgar Square in London on 19 September. During their speeches, they both declared that the coronavirus was a "hoax" and "does not exist"

On 12 September, a group of anti-lockdown protesters gathered in Birmingham following the announcement the previous day that Birmingham, and the nearby boroughs of Solihull and Sandwell would be subject to increased restrictions due to a rise in cases in the area.[23]

On 19 September, a protest was held by the group Resist and Act for Freedom at Trafalgar Square, London. Prominent speakers were Shemirani, Corbyn and Mark Steele. Shemirani during her speech said that COVID-19 was a "hoax" and "does not exist", that a vaccine for COVID-19 would mean that the government would "be able to look at every aspect of what’s going on in our brains" and "not only can they pick it up, they can download into us".[24]

On 26 September, a protest was held at Trafalgar Square, London. Prominent speakers were Corbyn, Icke, Gareth Icke (David Icke's son) and others. One speaker, Daz Nez (real name Darren Nesbit), who once appeared in 2018 on This Morning and espoused the Flat Earth conspiracy theory,[25] sang a song with themes about the New World Order, anti-vaccines, anti-cooperation, anti-government, anti-monarchy and anti-lockdown. The protest resulted in three protesters and nine police officers being injured. Sixteen people were arrested.[26][27][28]

On 17 October, a protest was held through Hyde Park and Oxford Street in London.[29] The protest was in response to London being put under tighter restrictions that have been imposed on the city. Protesters held placards with conspiracy theories linking COVID-19 to 5G, "curfews equal Nazification", "question the government narrative, rise up now", "freedom of speech is our right, COVID-19 is a hoax", "lockdown kills", and "COVID-19 equals control".[29][30] Piers Corbyn spoke at Leicester Square and told the crowd:

Bill Gates wants vaccinations to control you and to control women's fertility to reduce world population. That is his game and he's going to get loads of money off it, and you will pay with your money and your life. We say, 'No'.[31]

On 18 October, Corbyn attended an anti-lock protest in Clayton Square, Liverpool city centre. He told the protesters:

This COVID-19 virus is a hoax. There may have been something around in China, was it the same thing, was it a bio-weapon, who knows. But it was used to unleash the most monstrous power-grab the world has ever seen. And what we have got to do, we have got to break their lockdowns, break all their measures or we lose. We are not just walking around protesting, saying to the Government please do this, please do that. We are not protesting, we are fighting, in order to break every move they make.[32]

On 24 October, an anti-lockdown protest was held by Save Our Rights UK using the slogan "Stop The New Normal" in London. After marching from Hyde Park to Westminster, the protest ended in Trafalgar Square. Key speakers were Louise Creffield and Piers Corbyn.[33] Shortly before 4 pm, the police decided to break up the protest because the protesters "failed to comply with the terms of their risk assessment, government guidelines and were not maintaining social distancing". The police officer in charge "determined their protest is no longer exempt from the regulations and is an illegal gathering". The police arrested at least 18 people during the protest.[34][35]

Richard Tice, chairman of the Brexit Party, and a few dozen others led a small protest at an official wreath-laying ceremony at the Royal Artillery Memorial on Hyde Park Corner on Remembrance Sunday in defiance of regulations.[36]

On 28 November anti-lockdown demonstrators marched through London chanting "freedom", in a day of protests that resulted in more than 60 arrests.[37] The protestors were joined by groups opposing the COVID-19 vaccine.[38]

On New Year's Day, a large crowd of protesters gathered on London South Bank to demonstrate against restrictions and businesses being closed down.[39] A group of protesters also gathered outside St Thomas' Hospital nearby, chanting "Covid is a hoax".[40]

On 9 January, police arrested 12 people at a protest in Clapham Common.[41] On the same day there were arrests of in Bournemouth linked with the anti-lockdown movement.[42]

Facebook removed videos published by a “coronavirus denier” as it was ruled that they posed a danger of “imminent physical harm”.[43]