Huge crowd marches through London to mark Day of Ashura despite social distancing restrictions

Oxford Street London, 30th August.

I think these are mostly Shia Muslims originally from Iran. They didn’t get their usual Al Quds march in June. Every Christian festival since March, and all our English secular festivals (eg the Rochester Sweeps Festival on May Day,  Leigh Folk Festival,  Glastonbury Music festival to name a mere three) have been cancelled other than as an on-line distanced event.  

I’m no fan of the crime and violence the Notting Hill carnival forments, but I know that a lot of genuine hard work goes into the Children’s Day which starts the weekend off. Steel bands, Samba schools, hand sewn costumes and floats, which should be fun but is always spoilt. 

Ashura, and the BLM Million person march from Notting Hill, in lieu of the Carnival took place unhindered. 300 people turned up for the Million person march (the other 2,999,700 decided to watch the cricket on BBC1).

Arrests were made at the Anti-lockdown rally in Trafalgar Square and Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers Corbyn has been fined £10,000 for organising it.