With lockdown restrictions scheduled to be lifted everywhere and a neat roadmap out of it, it is infinitely possible and evident people will protest against anything and everything and would attend the opening of an envelope, if the weather was fine. Let us be honest about this, can any protestors holding anti-lockdown banners, say they are truly upset with the progress of the UK's navigation out of lockdown? Many would think not. People across the world must surely be wondering what on earth is going on in London on this bright and sunny Saturday, where we all enjoy the freedoms others could only dream of. The success of the vaccination programme has allowed the lifting of restrictions that other countries around the world will be looking on at with envy.
So what is the real truth behind the need people have to gather for no seemingly sensible reason? Is it the lack of human contact necessary during a pandemic that has brought about this propensity for mass gatherings?
Research has discovered that when an issue seems frightening to us, we disseminate the information relating to it in a prejudiced and biased manner so as to support our own beliefs and intensify fear, adding a bit more gusto as we pass it on and all the while building the fear. The more people share information, the more negative it becomes and the further away it gets from the facts. And as the stories gain traction, it becomes harder to correct them.
Never before has this been truer than during a global pandemic. We have witnessed the tribal schools of thought developing and growing all over social media, and we have seen the loyal following that will believe the stories of their 'leaders', no matter how absurdly ludicrous and far-fetched they might seem. This Idolatry is not only a matter for concern, it also has the potential to be harmful. The disinformation across all social media platforms is unrelenting, and much of it is posted with the intention of deliberately misleading. Covid is not a hoax, as some banners raised high at the protest would have you believe, and in reality, any suggestion of it is disrespectful to the families of those who have lost someone to the virus.
Today's protest in Hyde Park, serves no real purpose other than demonstrating a need of human contact. Zoom might have had its uses during a global lockdown, but it seems nothing could ever be a substitute for real human connection.
We hear you. Perhaps now you could put down your banners and head off peacefully. After all, we know people always pay more attention to the message if a protest is peaceful.
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