Keir Starmer Condemned the Wrong Rally

4 min read

The Unite the Kingdom rally was an outlier in recent London marches in having no mass chants calling for death to minority groups, yet perversely this was the one Sir Keir Starmer chose to condemn, says Jonathan Sacerdoti in the Spectator. Here’s an excerpt.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the Unite the Kingdom rally was just how unremarkable it felt. There were no mass chants calling for the death of particular groups, no calls for the eradication of foreign countries and no flags of terrorist groups or tyrannical theocracies waved in the crowd. Nobody cited scripture to urge the slaughter of another people, nobody waved terrorist symbols and nobody I saw during the entire day covered their face.

We live in such peculiar times that this is what set the march apart from the dozens of others which have descended on the streets of London over the last couple of years, totally unchallenged – even protected – by the police and our Government. Yet this outlier was the first march Keir Starmer decided to speak out against since taking office as Prime Minister, threatening police action and the full force of the law against those involved, and pulling out all the stops to block foreign speakers from entering the country at the last minute. Of all the political protests we’ve witnessed since Labour won the General Election – and we’ve witnessed many – this was the one he chose to obstruct repeatedly. This was the hill he chose to die on.

And just in case anyone had forgotten what the other type of march looks like, they handily held one just around the corner so we could compare and contrast. The far-Left omnicause supporters took to the streets waving their PLO and Iranian flags – the ones representing the Islamic Republic regime, not the sun-and-lion version indicating solidarity with the Iranian people. Some were even sporting Al-Qassam Brigades red triangles, a symbol made popular by the terrorists when marking out targets for death in videos.

Unite the Kingdom focused mostly on domestic issues, British society and Christianity. Mostly the crowd waved Union flags, St George’s crosses and saltires. The other march featured few no Union flags, but a sea of red, white, green and black PLO flags.

Much of the traditional media coverage referred to these two marches as the ‘far-Right’ march and the ‘pro-Palestine’ march, representing another imbalance in how the marches were treated. The Left-wing march was afforded the courtesy of being described as it wished to be, but not one single person I met on the other one would have identified with the ‘far-Right’ description. Both descriptions are questionable, because any march truly supportive of Palestinian Arabs would surely call for the end of Hamas and other terrorist groups’ stranglehold over their lives, and any far-Right rally worth its salt would forbid the presence of black people, Jews or migrants of any type rather than proudly welcoming them and featuring them on stage.

When Keir Starmer declared Tommy Robinson’s march “a reminder of what we’re up against in the battle of our values”, many taking part would have agreed with him wholeheartedly. But though he predicted those on it would be “peddling hatred and division, plain and simple”, I saw nothing of the sort. Far from ‘hate speech’, I heard plenty of love speech – love for nation, for unity, for freedom. That political and social outlook might not be to everyone’s taste, but after constant and unchallenged ‘globalise the intifada’ and ‘from the river to the sea’ mobs paraded through our cities and past synagogues, it seemed utterly disingenuous of Starmer suddenly to declare that he “will act decisively against hatred” and “use the full force of the law when that hatred manifests as violence” just when his leadership of his own party and the country itself is at its weakest. Perhaps it’s a coincidence that the UTK march openly challenges Labour’s positions and actions in government, and that its most popular spontaneous chant was, once again, “Keir Starmer’s a wanker”. No, there’s no way that’s what inspired him to act tough all of a sudden.

Worth reading in full.

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19 Comments
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Kenneth Jones
Kenneth Jones
3 months ago

Starmer needs new (ideological) specs. The threat to “our values” does not lie in folks waving Union flags, and giving up their Saturday for a day out and a bit of patriotic rhetoric, but with the established and dominant left. The Labour Party’s own anti-american left, the anti-semitism inherent in antizionism, the Green’s obvious anti-semitism, Pro-Palestine endless rallies with “globalize the intifada” and “death, death etc” and especially their allies in the universities with their incomprehensible “intersectionality” and “all whites are racist” etc. If Starmer would only look wider than the stuff which animates him and his party he might learn something and start to respect and defend the values he purports to hold.

RW
RW
3 months ago
Reply to  Kenneth Jones

Will supporters of Donald Duck Trump ever admit that the Democrats are an American party? Stay tuned!

marebobowl
marebobowl
3 months ago

This is what puppets do. They do as they are told. Don’t think his replacement will not be another puppet. Please name and shame the puppet masters.

Rusty123
Rusty123
3 months ago

At no point should such hatred and vitirol be allowed on UK streets, yet weekly we have our towns and citys disrupted by these terrorist supporters, and people even vote them into power, I wonder if they’ll be marching for us in other countrys soon, when we turn into Iran?, put simply we have roughly 10/15 years to get rid of these traitors, or pay the consequences, or leave the next generation to them!.

Tonka Rigger
Tonka Rigger
3 months ago

Well, this is hardly a surprise. The present government are enemies of all patriotic Britons, Christians and all of those who would show dissent against the destructive and anti-human globalist doctrine promulgated by them.

Aided and abetted by a neutered and cowed media, they spread filth, lies and propaganda in a war for the minds of the masses, and indeed the soul of this country.

The same evil is played out across the West, from the EU bloc to the college campuses and classrooms of North America.

By their deeds shall ye know them.

Rowland P
Rowland P
3 months ago
Reply to  Tonka Rigger

Agreed; Rupert Lowe of Restore Britain has said the same in an interview – that the Government is undoubtedly our number one enemy.

soundofreason
soundofreason
3 months ago

The full article mentions:

In the end, his announcement that he would finally step down as leader and Prime Minister came after this mass popular display of disgust at his record from a crowd made up of many varied types of Britons – working class, middle class, young, old, white, black, poor, rich, you name it.

Wishful thinking unless I’ve missed something.

RW
RW
4 months ago

Starmer’s government blocked at least one MEP from the AfD from entering the country on the grounds that this “wouldn’t be conducive to the public good” who had been invited to speak at this rally.

Today, the CDU first minister of Hessen categorically stated that the AfD taking control of a German state government wouldn’t happen. If this wasn’t just rethoric, it amounts to an open admission that the forces of “Save the climate!” and “Refugees welcome!” will not accept an election outcome going against them and Covid-era German health secretary Karl Lauterbach has demanded that the WHO declares “the climate catastrophe” a COVID-style global health emergency justifying similarly heavy-handed state actions.

Our so-called democracies seem to be heading for an interesting period of time.

John Kitchen
John Kitchen
4 months ago

Starmer’s behaviour would make perfect sense for a man who hates Britain and loves terrorists.

Mogwai
Mogwai
4 months ago

Respect. He’s a Tommy Robinson supporter and was also there last year. I think he’s a secular Muslim;

”I attended the Unite The Kingdom (UTK) 2026 march organised by Tommy Robinson
and his team. A huge amount of hard work and behind the scenes commitment goes into organising an event of that scale, and that shouldn’t be overlooked. Initially, I planned to attend quietly. However, the day before the event, I watched a video from the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, where he described those attending as “far right racists” and “thugs,” as if the purpose of the rally was to spread hatred or intimidate others.

I understand that there are strong emotions and deep divisions in our country right now. But when millions of people are broadly labelled in that way, it only widens the divide and puts targets on ordinary people’s backs. I knew that not many people from my background would be attending. In fact, I was advised by members of the Muslim community and others not to go. But I believe in leading by example. I would never ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do myself. So yes, as a brown Pakistani man. I went… Read more »

Mogwai
Mogwai
4 months ago
Reply to  Mogwai

Another positive account;

”I took my 3 beautiful stepdaughters to the so-called “far right” march in London on 16th May. This was my second time going. Last September I went with their dad to see for myself what it was really about, after hearing the media constantly label it as “far right” — something even my children had started believing. What I actually found was a very diverse group of passionate people who love this amazing country. Yes, there were the odd people with views that went too far, but what stood out to me was how quickly others around them would put them in check. Overall, the atmosphere was positive, respectful, and full of pride. After hearing what Starmer had to say recently, I spoke to the girls properly about coming this year. Like many young people, they’d heard all sorts about Tommy Robinson, so I told them my own views and said that if you want an opinion on someone, you should listen to them yourself rather than only believing what others say about them.

The girls decided they wanted to come — but they also wanted to carry both sides of their heritage proudly. They wore their… Read more »

transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
4 months ago
Reply to  Mogwai

It’s a “Basket of deplorables” moment for Starmer.

Mogwai
Mogwai
4 months ago

A comment ( actually from Katharine Birbalsingh’s Twitter page, as she’s always getting loads of hate ) from Mike Fairclough, who you might remember is the ex-headmaster who spoke out against deathjabs and lockdowns for kids. I totally concur with his viewpoint;

”I’m a white man married to a dark skinned Punjabi Indian woman. When I talk to my wife’s community, many share my views on mass-uncontrolled illegal immigration, being proud of our nation, and harmful woke ideology in schools etc. The media and government want to create the illusion that these views are ‘far-right’ and racist. That’s because they want ethnic and religious groups divided, instead of coming together and discovering we all have common ground.
The whites who are blatantly racist do not help the cause whatsoever. It’s a trap just like the far leftists have fallen into (two sides of the same coin). Opposing mass-uncontrolled illegal immigration is urgent and necessary. However, lumping every black and Asian person into the same category is illogical, unethical, and dangerous.”

https://x.com/1MikeFairclough/status/2055962029593100676

Jon Garvey
Jon Garvey
4 months ago

We can only assume that, from the Goverment’s point of view, they condemned the right rally. Therefore, the smaller, murderous march actually represents Labour values, and the population should vote, and act, accordingly.

stewart
stewart
3 months ago
Reply to  Jon Garvey

Nothing to do with Labour.

Starmer (and every Prime Minister since Blair, except Truss) is an avatar for the establishment.

The establishment is openly at war with the part of the population that opposes its policies (mass immigration, NetZero, gay trans values).

No need to overthink it. It’s really that simple.

JXB
JXB
4 months ago

A Pro-Right rally. The political Right, being to protect the Rights of Life, Liberty, Property of the citizen sovereignty of the individual, Common Law, free market capitalist economy.

Not a “march” or a “protest”, a rally = to bring into order again; gather and organise or inspire anew.

Pete Sutton
Pete Sutton
4 months ago

Starmer’s “address to the nation” smearing Unite The Kingdom marchers as far right and non-British is just one move in his campaign against Andy Burnham. Voters in Makersfield could be disgusted by the Labour brand because of Starmer’s slander.The loss of one Labour MP, and perhaps a Labour mayoralty, are prices worth paying to shoot the Burnham fox, as Starmer faces his own oblivion.

Gezza England
Gezza England
4 months ago
Reply to  Pete Sutton

Matthew Torbit was on GN News this morning and was commenting on Startmer’s call for everyone, including him, to back the Makerfield candidate, wondering how ‘helpful’ it would be if Starmer followed through and went campaigning there. I bet that would go down like a bucket of sick with Burnham but if putting off the voters sees Burnham lose it would be job done for Starmer.

JohnK
JohnK
4 months ago
Reply to  Pete Sutton

Assuming that there will be a suitable Labour candidate for the forthcoming election for the replacement GM Mayor, it would be perverse for the constituents in Makerfield to change or withhold their vote in that one when it happens.

However, by-elections can be weird. There will be a lot of tactical voting – maybe even the Tory candidate might just avoid losing their deposit.

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