When a small group of pro-Brexit activists started up a copycat version of the French ‘Gilet Jaune’ protests, I worried that it would end up either backfiring on the organisers, or would hand ammunition to the opposition that would be easily exploitable. Two recent incidents involving this small group have given me cause to believe that I was correct to worry about this danger.
The ‘Yellow Jacket’ protestors have continued to carry out protest actions, such as blocking Westminster Bridge and other bridges across the River Thames, which are just as likely to piss off ordinary working Londoners as they are to make a political point. Some of their other actions, such as verbally abusing Remainer MP Anna Soubry and surrounding the left wing commentator Owen Jones, have also been counterproductive. All that this small group have achieved is to hand the appalling Soubry a stick to beat Brexiteers with and given Jones more material that he and his lefty mates can use against Britain’s growing patriot movements. Despite being a great believer in non-violent direct action, I know that such action needs to be effectively targeted, imaginative and not leave any hostages to fortune that the opponents could exploit. The Yellow Jacket protestors have not been imaginative, nor have they properly targeted their protests and they’ve given the opposition a multitude of sticks with which to beat the rest of us Brexiteers.
Whilst I despise the appalling Anna Soubry for continuing to defy the wishes of her constituents by pushing the Remainer line, I can also see that surrounding her and shouting ‘fascist’ and ‘Nazi’ at her is not a good look. Yes there is a case to be made for pointing out that Soubry dishes it out but cannot take it when its dished back to her, but all that the Yellow Jackets have done is make her into a bit of a martyr for the Remainers. Like many others I condemned the incidents where former UKIP leader Nigel Farage was harassed by far Leftists during the Referendum campaign. I saw the Left’s actions as an affront to the idea that people who wish to campaign for or against a political issue should be left in peace to get on with it. It would be hypocritical of me not to also condemn the very similar actions of the small group of Yellow Jacket protestors, who did something similar with Soubry. If it was wrong to attack or hassle Mr Farage during the Referendum then it is also wrong to do the same to Soubry.
As regards the incident with Owen Jones, you can see from his reaction in the video (linked here) that not only is he not bothered by being surrounded and questioned by the Yellow Jacket protestors but he is highly amused. It is almost certain that Jones will exploit this incident and he has powerful media allies to help him to do this. The way to destroy the arguments of Jones and their ilk is not to shout at them in the street, but instead to calmly and accurately point out the flaws in their ideology or give him enough rope with which to metaphorically hang himself. We saw how effective this tactic was following the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida, USA when he became so enraged at the idea that the killer could have been motivated by Islam, that he stormed off a Sky news programme. This self-inflicted wound did Jones and his reputation far more damage than the Yellow Jacket protesters could ever have managed.
When I first heard that there was a British version of the Yellow Jacket protest being planned I hoped that it would, like the French protests, attract the ordinary politically disengaged normies. The Yellow Jacket movement in the UK needs to do this in order to grow and not be slapped down by the political and media classes. I really can’t see how the leaders of this Yellow Jacket movement such as James Goddard can attract the necessary number of non-political supporters if they continue to act as they are acting at present. If this group is to be properly effective, then it needs to get more normal, by which I mean normally non-political British subjects, to join it. At present this Yellow Jacket group are not showing any signs that they are doing this and this group may need a more effective and politically savvy leadership cadre than they have at present. The videos I’ve seen of the Yellow Jacket demonstrations show the same small numbers and many of the same faces in each demonstration, this is not the sign of a vital and effective protest entity. The UK Yellow Jacket movement as presently organised is not growing and I think that their tactics and behaviour may well be putting people off.
The behaviour and tactics certainly puts me off aligning with them, even though I believe that the Yellow Jacket motif could be an effective one. If this group cannot get people like me, who are politically engaged, anti-Islam, pro-Brexit conservative patriots to support them, then what chance do they have of attracting the large numbers of normal people that would be needed to make this group into an effective protest movement? I’m starting to come to the conclusion that this group at least is a dead end protest that is likely to do more harm than it does good to the Brexit cause. I have also come to the conclusion that the current incarnation of the UK Yellow Jackets are the right wing analogue of the Socialist Workers Party. This is because they are, like the SWP, a small group of highly motivated individuals who with quasi-religious fervour continue to protest in a manner that is unlikely to engage those outside of their group to support them.
