Thousands flooded the streets of London on Saturday to protest the impending Parliament recess imposed by new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Protesters assert that Johnson’s suspension of Parliament is meant to thwart lawmakers from being able to stop a “no-deal” Brexit from occurring. The suspension could begin as early as Sept. 9 and last through mid-October.
The United Kingdom is facing a hard deadline to exit the European Union by the end of October, and Johnson’s critics have likened the Parliament suspension to a “coup.” Queen Elizabeth II also received sharp criticism over the last few days for backing Johnson’s choice to suspend Parliament for five weeks. #AbolishtheMonarchy was trending on Twitter Thursday evening as protesters began to gather in front of 10 Downing St., the residence of the prime minister.
Thousands of people have gathered in central London, protesting against plans to suspend Parliament, ahead of #Brexit
More than 30 rallies are taking place in locations across the UK todayhttps://t.co/LzVXLb2gmA pic.twitter.com/9MN9GX1ZMz
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) August 31, 2019
Citing government overreach, a Facebook group that opposed the suspension, called “Stop the Coup, Defend Democracy,” posted their main grievance at the start of protests this weekend.
“Boris Johnson is trying to shut down our democracy so that he can deliver on his Brexit agenda,” the post said. “We can’t just rely on the courts or parliamentary process to save the day. We all have a duty to stand up and be counted.”
Protesters held signs that repeated the mission and waved EU flags.
The protests have been largely organized by Momentum, a grassroots organization that supports Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
“This is our democracy, and we will not let an unelected prime minister manage this power grab,” said Laura Parker, national coordinator for Momentum said. “He wants to shut the system down and hide … We know where you live, Mr. Johnson.”
Those who support Johnson do not see the suspension as unusual, given the time of year.
“It’s quite usual this time of year for Parliament to go in to a recess,” said Chancellor Sajid Javid during a Saturday radio interview. “It’s perfectly correct and appropriate to prorogue Parliament.”
