The Best Signs From The Anti-Prorogation Protests

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets across the UK to protest Boris Johnson's suspension of Parliament.

Demonstrators in London chanted "You shut down our parliament? We shut down the streets!" in response to the Prime Minister's decision to prorogue – or suspend – parliament for a total of 23 days, with scarily convenient timing.

Demonstrators singing:
“You shut down our Parliament?
We shut down the streets” #london #TrafalgarSquare pic.twitter.com/CbaQsTGZol
— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) August 31, 2019

The prorogation means that parliament will now sit for little more than a week before it is reconvened on October 14th – just a fortnight before the Brexit deadline. This massively reduces the window of opportunity for the mechanisms of parliament to block attempts to leave the EU without a deal on October 31st.

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Organisers of the London protest, which stopped traffic in parts of central London, wrote on Facebook ahead of the demonstration: "Boris Johnson is trying to shut down our democracy so that he can deliver on his Brexit agenda. 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."

Protests against the PM's suspension of parliament took place in dozens of locations across the UK, with photos shared on social media showing strong turnouts in Newcastle, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and many other towns and cities.

#StopTheCoup and #DefendOurDemocracy protestors in Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester

....smashing the myth that the North of England supports Brexit ?? pic.twitter.com/CcctEeVkE2
— dave M ❄️ ? (@davemacladd) August 31, 2019

Plymouth, Glasgow, Bristol, Leeds, not necessarily in that order.. Just a few of the protests today. #DefendOurDemocracy #ThePeopleVJohnson pic.twitter.com/GyifPogUth
— Gayle Letherby ? #JC4PM2019 (@gletherby) August 31, 2019

The protests were attended by several MPs including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at a protest in Glasgow. Abbott said she had joined the protest in London because "we cannot allow Boris Johnson to shut down Parliament and shut down the voice of ordinary British people".

I took to the streets today because we cannot allow Boris Johnson to shut down Parliament and shut down the voice of ordinary British people #StopTheCoup #DefendDemocracy pic.twitter.com/vDAk4Xvuxb
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) August 31, 2019

As we saw at March's protest calling for a People's Vote on Brexit, people made signs that were witty and inventive as well as seething with understandable anger.

Some of my fave signs from today’s #StopTheCoup demo in London. pic.twitter.com/SL0osxxZ13
— WonderCAM (@meepimaud) August 31, 2019

Call off the search lads.
I found the best placard.#StopTheCoup #DefendOurDemocracy #NotMyPM #GeorgeSquare #PeopleMakeGlasgow #BorisJohnsonIsAPureFanny pic.twitter.com/TUozTu58ER
— INgrid Sigerson (@nosregis) August 31, 2019

Great placard work at #Glasgow #StopTheCoup demo pic.twitter.com/oyLSq33PDW
— Dr Katrina Farrell (@farrell_katrina) August 31, 2019

Best placard so far #georgesquare #StopTheCoup pic.twitter.com/iJiKlDAQn5
— Ishbel Smith (@HeartInMouthOrg) August 31, 2019

The best placard! #StopTheCoup pic.twitter.com/lKf8LJmmcE
— Alice Hewson (@4licerose) August 31, 2019

The Prime Minister has previously refuted suggestions that he prorogued parliament in order to make it easier to force through a 'no deal' Brexit by October 31st, calling them "completely untrue".

Meanwhile, a petition seeking to stop the prorogation has now amassed more than 1.6m signatures.

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