Britain | Opposites attract

The anti-lockdown movement is still going strong

It has united the anarchist left and anti-establishment right

|3 min read

JAM FOR FREEDOM pumps out Oasis and Bob Marley covers, but the band has a political mission too: to oppose covid-19 lockdowns. Young, racially diverse crowds gather to sing along to “We are the 99%”, its anthem. “Stick your poisonous vaccine up your arse,” go the lyrics. The “99%” refrain is borrowed from Occupy, a left-wing movement. But between songs some fans shout “Free Tommy”, a reference to Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, a right-wing group.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Opposites attract”

The long goodbye

From the July 3rd 2021 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition
illustration of Julius Caesar’s assassination: a robed figure with a laurel wreath is being stabbed by several men in white togas on a stone floor, while a modern London skyline with Big Ben in the background

How to oust a prime minister

History offers useful lessons for those plotting to get rid of Sir Keir Starmer

Night-time shot of the headframe of South Crofty mine, run by Cornish Metals

Tin mining is making a surprise return to Cornwall

Higher prices and national security are fuelling investment


Liverpool fans wave flags including one with 'JUSTICE' written on it.

Britain’s “Hillsborough law”, pledging candour, is avoiding it

A bill to jail dishonest bureaucrats may result in a less honest state 


Alpha offers a starter course in salvation

The Christian programme is one of Britain’s most successful cultural exports

Britain’s shifting GDP numbers

The economy is growing. But how strongly?

Bagehot

The alternatives to Sir Keir

Eventually the improbable, the implausible or the once-impossible will become inevitable