Laurence Fox joins anti-lockdown protesters in London as he slams ‘despicable’ law: ‘Unlock this country’

Laurence Fox joined groups of anti-lockdown protesters in London while branding the new protest bill ‘despicable’. 

The former Lewis actor descended on central London on Saturday afternoon to campaign against the ongoing lockdown, despite police cracking down on protests during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Tensions have mounted in recent weeks after the Metropolitan Police faced backlash for their handling of a peaceful Sarah Everard vigil in Clapham Common, which led to four arrests. 

Following further protests, MPs passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on Tuesday, handing scores of extra powers to forces which will allow them to clampdown on protests.

Marching through the streets of the capital, Lewis stopped for a filmed interview and said: ‘It’s despicable, they’re not paid to stop our peaceful right to protest. 

‘We live in a democracy, we don’t live in a place where they [can] shut us down. It’s not right, it’s not what they’re paid for, it’s not what we want from them.

‘They need to police crime, not this.’ 

When asked what he’ll first do if elected as the Mayor of London as he plans to, Lewis said: ‘Make protests legal and let people be able to protest. And unlock this town, unlock this country.’ 

On Twitter, Laurence promoted his anti-woke political party Reclaim and shared a campaign poster alongside the message: ‘It is your London too. Reclaim it.’ 

He added: ‘Open the country. Stop moving the goal posts. We are perfectly poised to get ahead at this crucial time. Our liberty is not your property.’

Last year, the actor was heavily criticised for breaking lockdown rules by inviting a group of friends over to his house for lunch. 

‘Just had a large group over to lunch and we hugged and ate and talked and put the world to rights. It was lovely,’ he tweeted.

‘You’ll never take that away from people. Stay out. Protect your rights. If the @nhs can’t cope, then the @nhs isn’t fit for purpose.’ 

Laurence added: ‘Compliance is violence.’ 

Earlier this month, Laurence announced his plans to run for London Mayor against Sadiq Khan. 

The 42-year-old told the Daily Telegraph: ‘I am standing for London mayor. With almost all older and vulnerable people having got their jab, I want the lockdown lifted straight away.

‘The Government has said vaccines are working, hospitalisations and deaths are tumbling, but we are still being told we won’t be able to resume normal life until mid-summer at the earliest.

‘Both the main parties are competing in this dreary race to be the last to set the country free. Both Tory and Labour have got this badly wrong. I want London – and indeed the rest of the country – to be allowed to get back to work and play immediately – not by late June.’

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