In recent years Lennon has struggled to attract significant numbers to his demonstrations. Wracked by legal and personal problems he has spent much of his time abroad and was a much-diminished figure. However, that changed back in June when his event in Westminster attracted the largest numbers to any far-right demonstration since 2018.

Worryingly, today’s demonstration was significantly larger again with most estimates placing attendance between 20-30,000 people. At times there were also over 500,000 people watching Lennon’s livestream online.

The event started with his supporters gathering outside the Royal Courts of Justice at midday before marching to Trafalgar Square where they were greeted by a stage and three enormous screens.

Lennon led the procession wearing a £500 Burberry shirt, £350 Stone Island trousers and £575 Gucci trainers.

While marching Lennon thanked Elon Musk on a livestream for returning his account on X (formerly Twitter), which is one factor in Lennon’s recent return to prominence. Since getting his account back he has risen to 700,000 followers and now reaches millions of people with his content.

However, the scale of this event, coming just after Reform received 14% of the vote at the recent General Election, is further evidence of the groundswell of anti-immigrant and anti-establishment sentiment in the country.

Perhaps the biggest cheer of the day came when Lennon asked the audience if they voted for Reform and numerous other speakers also made appeals to Nigel Farage. “I hope you are listening to us Nigel Farage because we are your constituency,” cried Carl Benjamin to the crowd.

Lennon’s Christian Turn

Over a punishing six hours the audience heard from a seemingly endless procession of speakers who primarily focused on immigration and asylum seekers. However, as has become normal at his events there was also a range of other topics covered including free speech, transphobia, Net Zero, ‘Big Pharma’ and vaccines.

One notable change from recent Lennon events was the more overtly pro-Christian element to the day’s proceedings. In recent months Lennon has begun to talk more regularly about God and Jesus and that was reflected today with numerous speakers and singers referencing Christianity and chants from the stage of ‘Christ Is King.” There was also a band from the Spirit Embassy London church in Bruce Grove, Tottenham.

However, perhaps the most extreme speech was delivered by Bishop Ceirion Dewar who screamed:

We are not at war with just the Muslim, we are not at war with just woke ideology, we are not at war with just cancel culture but we are at war with four hundred and twelve idiots that sit on those benches just up there. […] We are the defence walls upon which modernity and multiculturalism crash.

Bishop Dewar has previously addressed a UKIP meeting.

While the English Defence League drew on Christian and crusader imagery Lennon has never organised an event as overtly Christian in tone as todays.

Prison For Tommy?

Despite the enormous numbers in attendance, Lennon has failed to learn the lessons of previous events and proceeded to organise a punishingly long event, made more painful by the summer heat.

At one point Lennon took the unwise decision to screen the entirety of his ‘documentary’ Silenced which saw parts of the crowd begin to drift off to the surrounding pubs. However, one person who might be interested is the Attorney General. In just 48 hours Lennon is due in court accused of breaking an injunction preventing him from releasing the film.

Though HOPE not hate had already provided a dossier of evidence proving he was consciously involved in the original release of the film, it will now be impossible for him to argue he didn’t knowingly break the injunction and could face up to two years in prison for contempt of court. “If they want to send me to jail, the world will know I told the truth,” screamed Lennon in an increasingly hoarse voice.

Who’s Who

Alongside Lennon the event was a who’s who of Britain’s radical and far-right social media scene. In addition to Carl Benjamin speakers included Laurence Fox, disgraced former MP Andrew Bridgen, Paul Thorpe, Mahyar Tousi, Richard Inman, Dan Morgan and Stan Robinson from Voice of Wales, Danny Tommo and Liam Tuffs amongst many, many others.

One slightly disturbing moment came when Simon Bean (AKA The Maverick Veteran) finished his speech by screaming, “I will keep fighting until I am lying on the street choaking on my own blood.”

Meanwhile in the audience were long term Lennon associates such as James Harvey of Students Against Tyranny and former EDL figure Guramit Singh.

The far-right group Youth Alliance were also in attendance as were representatives of the Democratic Football Lads Alliance for whom Lennon tweeted he had the ‘utmost respect’.

However, there were moments of unintentional comic relief. There was a string of musical interludes with Pastor Rick and the Patriots adding an out of time electric guitar to Land of Hope and Glory, a cringe inducing hair metal song called We Are The Patriots by WATPatriots and some shouting from Louise Distras.

Worryingly Large

While Lennon’s event was punishingly long and many had called it a day before the end, there is little doubt this is the largest event organised by the far right in many years. After a prolonged period in the doldrums Lennon can once again rally huge crowds onto the streets of London.

Today was further evidence that there is groundswell of anti-immigrant and anti-establishment feeling in Britain that Lennon is whipping up and exploiting. The size of today’s event must also be viewed in the context of Reform’s recent electoral results. Both Lennon and Reform are feeding off the same anger.

However, it is too comfortable to think that tens of thousands of people attended this event purely because of Lennon. Blame must also go to those elements of the media and also mainstream political parties that have helped foster this hostile climate against migrants and asylum seekers. In some ways Lennon is merely exploiting the anger created by others.

---

Joe Mulhall

Click here to subscribe to ESSF newsletters in English and or French.