A stream of speakers crossed the stage. “Islam is our real enemy.” We must “remove Islam from every single place of authority”.
“This is a religious war. It’s Jesus Christ versus Satan.” British men must “get fight ready, because a fight is coming to this country”. Each address was met with cheers.
Some in the crowd carried large wooden crosses. Others wore shirts bearing the face of Christ or slogans such as “Jesus is Lord” and “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. Some chanted “Christ is King”. Several attendees even arrived dressed as medieval crusaders: mock chainmail, red-cross tunics, and imitation armour.
This was the scene at the Unite the Kingdom rally in London on 16 May, organised by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson. His real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.
Elsewhere in the city, another gathering was taking place: a commemoration of the Nakba, the violent displacement of Palestinians from their homeland in 1948.
