Chelmsford Freedom Rally 4/9/21

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Over 200 people gathered in Chelmsford on Saturday to speak out against vaccine passports and schools administering jabs without parental consent. The group congregated outside the station and moved the demonstration through the town centre. Multiple speakers, including myself, gave speeches in the high street, so as to reach more observers and be heard by more people. The majority of observers walked quietly past, some taking leaflets and some politely refusing, but a few stopped to listen. One group of school aged boys asked for stickers and leaflets and joined the march as it continued - which gave me a lot of hope. There were also very aggressive observers including one who physically assaulted a protester, but people who react with violence or insults do so because they feel the most insecure. Our resistance makes them feel subconsciously ashamed and threatened.

I'd like to acknowledge that the police were generally helpful and courteous. One or two of the more stubborn amongst us did start an altercation on New London Road, in which one officer was definitely more aggressive than necessary, but on the whole the event was facilitated by the police, halting traffic in multiple locations. From an outside perspective, demonstrators who are side by side with police are seen as more legitimate and more trustworthy - so it is completely advantageous for us to cooperate with police, regardless of our personal feelings about them. Plus, from an officer's perspective, if they are treated with respect and find us to be intelligent, pleasant people, they may start to appreciate our point of view more and get closer to agreeing with us. 


Every time we take to the streets, it requires a certain amount of courage. In London, facing the TSG and standing in front of parliament, we directly confront the power that is raging against us. On the other hand, at local protests we spread the message to the people and create awareness that resistance does exist in their city. This takes a whole different kind of courage, because we are identifying ourselves as rebels to people that live alongside us and potentially people that know us. 

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

 The upside to local protest is that it allows for more effective outreach, in which respect our Chelmsford rally has been very successful. We saw 3 new faces at our Stand In The Park on Sunday! Overall it was an amazing day and achieved a great deal; the results will continue to show and we will keep working hard. 

Thank you to everyone who attended! 


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