Protest notes
from all over

Anyone who followed last week’s Extinction Rebellion disruptions will have seen news footage of protesters attempting to explain why blocking traffic, impeding productive citizens and parading in one’s underwear will help Gaia to recover from mankind’s alleged abuses. Incoherent, inarticulate and infuriatingly vague, they did not present as any sort of endorsement for Australia’s schools.

Their counterparts in England are smarter. According to Britain’s Mail on Sunday, they are being paid to make public nuisances of themselves:

Extinction Rebellion is paying activists up to £400 a week to lead the protests that have brought chaos to the streets of Britain, documents seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal.

Protesters have received payments totalling more than £70,000 in four months alone.

But the eco-protest group privately fears it could face a six-figure tax bill if the money, which is given as expenses, is deemed to be payment for work done on XR’s behalf.

Stupid is one thing, but at least the XR legions were relatively well mannered, which cannot be said of the pro-abortion mob encountered by Bill Thompson and captured in the clip below. The video blogger was verbally abused, roughed up and, at one point, had to stop a feral making off with his bicycle.

Despite a thick police presence and the victim’s eagerness to point out his assailant, VicPol wasn’t interested, telling him to take his complaint to a police station.

Such is life and policing in Victoria these days.

Warning: Those offended by foul language would do best not to watch the clip, as every second word — and T-shirt — is obscene.