Exclusive: Jeremy Corbyn on defending the right to protest
The ex-Labour leader speaks on police oppression, demonisation of protest and why Keir Starmer needs to look in the mirror.
It’s 9:30pm on a Sunday night in the iconic 100 club. On stage in the cavernous central London venue — Britain’s oldest operating grassroots music venue — the Menstrual Cramps are tearing it up. The Peace & Justice Project’s Music for the Many campaign has organised this bash, which also featured the incredible stylings of Cardiff based Generation Feral, in celebration of the end of independent venues week. The project’s founder Jeremy Corbyn just sort of appears in the green room of the Oxford Street music hall very unassumingly. Flat cap and puffer jacket still on from his allotment a member of the Menstrual Cramps immediately pulls out a Jeremy Corbyn annual (“unauthorised!”) they were bought in 2017 for him to look through and sign.
As he pours over the annual, lifting it up to show a cut-out of his own face or reading allowed the agony aunt columns where someone has given advice as him, it’s easy to forget that this is the man that many in the centre and on the right have repeatedly labelled as one of the most dangerous in Britain.
It’s little over two weeks since Corbyn, ex-leader of the Labour party and now independent MP for Islington North was part of a peaceful national demonstration for Palestine that ended in brutal, violent arrests and charges under the public order act for the organisers. Corbyn himself, along with his ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell, was called in for an interview under caution about the demonstration.
As the bands played, I grabbed a few minutes with the veteran activist and stalwart of many a protest movement to talk more about that demonstration, the right to protest, what he wants Starmer to do and more.
You were there at the front of the national demonstration for Palestine last month, tell me what your experience of it was?
I've been on every one of the Palestine demonstrations since October 2023. I've also been on many other demonstrations over the years for Palestine and many other causes. Sometimes the police are extremely cooperative. Sometimes they are difficult. What I've noticed through all the Palestinian demonstrations has been the interference of the Home Office. The police have often refused to agree a route until the very last minute, often demanding changes at unreasonably short notice, and whilst many of the police actually walking alongside the march are perfectly okay, the whole atmosphere created by the Home Office and others is that we don't have a right to march.
Well, we do have a right to march.
The characterization by successive Home Secretaries is that it’s a march of hate but it's the very opposite. It's a march of tens of thousands of people from all over the country, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, anything, are marching together because they cannot stand what is happening in Palestine.
These are marches of people determined to bring about peace and justice. What I'm concerned about is the 1986 public order legislation is now being resurrected again. I spoke against it at the time because I could see it bringing the police into the equation of deciding who can meet and who can march and what they can do. We now have legislation the last Conservative government brought in, and a very unclear message from this government about what our rights actually are. I think we have to have the right to march, the right to meet, the right to demonstrate. When MPs complain about these things, I often say to them well, actually, if people hadn't marched and met and demonstrated you wouldn’t be here. The Chartists and the Reform Act before that, were the crucial factors in bringing about an elected Parliamentary system in Britain.
You noted that successive Home Secretaries have referred to these marches as hate marches. The media has been incredibly incisive in demonising people like protestors – be them from Just Stop Oil, Palestine Action, Black Lives Matter, all of these different movements. How important do you think that demonisation has been in enabling the kind of policing we have seen on the streets?
The demonization of individuals and organizations that are taking action on the environment, with Palestine, with arms sales to Israel and so much more, helps in building up an isolation of those people that is very, very dangerous. It goes beyond the media.
The anti BDS bill that didn't get into law because the general election came and saved us from it last year was designed to say that locally elected councils could not make political statements. Well, hang on a minute!
You've been elected to public office, and yes, at one level you're there to administer local services, obviously, but you're also there as a voice of people and communities. And when the anti apartheid in South Africa campaign was at its height in the 1980s councils against apartheid were a crucial part of that. They were a very important network throughout the whole country. That was one of the factors, not the only one, but one of the factors that helped defeat apartheid.
Tony Benn always said, “Things always go full circle.” Everyone that ever led an independence campaign against the British Empire, always ended up having tea with the queen. If you read the history of the suffragettes and all that they went through and all the abuse they got at the time before the First World War, they're now on our postage stamps, our banknotes and everything else. They're now a revered part of British history. We are a nation that has rather short memories sometimes, and I think we have to assert the right to meet and the right to demonstrate.
On the subject of short memories, the current prime minister was, if you can stretch your memory back beyond five years, one of the leading lights in terms of human rights law. As somebody that has been so integral to so many of these protest movements for so long – you were arrested protesting against apartheid, helped organise the 2003 demonstrations against the Iraq war etc – What do you want Starmer and his government to do to start protecting the right to protest?
I was one of three MPs, alongside many other people, arrested in that anti apartheid demonstration. Tony Benn, Stuart Holland and myself were charged under the Diplomatic Immunities Act, saying we had been offensive to a foreign mission. Well actually I always wanted to be offensive to the apartheid regime, but I was not prepared to plead guilty to the charges, so I pleaded innocent. My argument was my presence there was to demonstrate my moral outrage against apartheid. You know what? We won the case, were given compensation for wrongful arrest and wrongful denial of my liberty while I was held in a police station and I was given a few 100 pounds in compensation, which I gave to the ANC, as did the others.
Keir Starmer always presents himself as a human rights lawyer. He says that he stands with the European Convention on Human Rights and the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, and he says they're central to what we do. He therefore needs to listen to himself and accept the judgments of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court concerning the genocidal acts of Israel and the behavior of Netanyahu and others, and put those into practice. Instead he's promoting arms sales to Israel, and spends a lot of time saying that maximum sentences should be used against climate protesters. Well, climate protesters are genuine people who do it because they believe in it. They get nothing out of it, only a lot of grief, often loss of jobs, loss of careers, and all sorts of things brought down upon them because they're standing up for what they believe in.
Starmer himself said he was opposed to a third runway at Heathrow. He said himself that the people that opposed it were heroes. Well, he needs to listen to himself. I mean, sometimes it's uncomfortable to be told what you did in the past, but sometimes looking in the mirror is a good thing.
In this moment of darkness, which is what it feels like with the successive piece of legislation coming anti protest, the use of terror laws against protesters, the pre-emptive arresting, etc, how do we keep making sure we get people into this movement, particularly at a time when the government seems to not give a shit?
Many people are going through terrible hardship. Excessive rents, low wages, and now the possibility of frozen benefits coming up, as well as large families suffering because the two child benefit cap. There is no alternative but to protest. There's no alternative but to demand. There's no good saying, ‘I'm all right, I don't care about anybody else.’ You only bring about change when you unite together. We showed that we supported teachers, rail workers, health workers, and so many others and postal workers during their recent industrial actions. We need to do exactly the same for the poorest within our society now, and that's why in my own area of Islington North, we're having regular forums of people to discuss and campaign on housing, on mental health, and last week, we held a forum on workers rights. A lot of those who came were gig workers with no rights, no security, no idea what their wage was going to be from one week to the next. They saw the point of being in the union and campaigning. That's what it's about.
We’re here at the 100 club at the end of independent venues week. How important is it to the movement to like mobilizing people, spaces, times like this?
It's Bread and Roses. You can't achieve change without inspiring people and the imagination that goes with it. It’s why, to the annoyance of some of my friends, I always promote poetry, music, art song, dance, theatre, as well as the more definitive political ideas, because you have to raise people's imagination. Too many people are ground down by the misery of their existence and what they're trying to get through. Traditionally working class communities have come together through festivals, through song, through music, through dance, and through poetry. Defending live music venues, to me, is actually part of that great historical tradition.
We're here in the 100 Club. We're in the green room, which does have some green paint on it.
The whole place is covered by what looks like graffiti, but actually is signatures of artists that have been here and performed here, and there's photos outside of lots of very famous musicians and artists that have come through 100 oxford street.. We're here to ensure that music venues like this are here for the next generation of young people who have the most amazing musical ideas. Let's keep them open, keep them going. And you know what that unleashes such energy and such talent? What a pleasure it is to be here tonight.
Listings:
February
London: Support museum strikers!
United Voices of the World say, “🚨 STRIKE ALERT: Museum Guards to strike all of February! 🚨
Starting this Saturday, 1 February, over 100 security guards at the @sciencemuseum , @natural_history_museum and @vamuseum will begin a month-long strike, running every day until 28 February.
Outsourced to security contractor Wilson James @wj_ltd under inferior pay and conditions, they’re demanding dignity, equality, and fair treatment. And now security guards at @young.vam and @vam_east have joined the fight to secure the same terms as directly employed museum staff.
Support their fight:
💥 Share this post
💥 Send a message to Museum bosses – 🔗 in bio
Let’s stand in solidarity with these workers fighting for justice! ✊”
Wednesday 5th February
Edinburgh: Support the Leondardo 5, EH1 1LB
Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign say, “We call on all supporters of justice to join us in standing in solidarity with the #Leonardo5. Together, we must send a clear message: opposing genocide is not a crime – it is a moral and legal obligation.
📆 Wednesday, February 5th
⏰ 9:30 AM
📌 Edinburgh Sheriff Court”
Saturday 8th February
London: Stand up for the Miners fundraiser night, W1D 1LL
Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners say, “The Durham miners are coming to London for an evening of comedy and politics marking the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike – and you’re invited!
We’ll be at the legendary Oxford Street venue The 100 Club on Saturday 8 February (7pm – 10.30pm) raising funds for the Durham Miners’ Gala. Our line up of comedians are the fantastic: Ian Stone; Steve Gribbin; Don Biswas; and Jen Ives, with Andrew O'Neill our host and compere.
The evening will also feature a special conversation with trade union leaders and ex-miners about the legacy of the Miners Strike 40 years on.All proceeds will go to the Marras – Friends of Durham Miners Gala.”
Buy your tickets here.
Nottingham: No Transphobia in Nottingham, 12:30pm
Nottingham Against Transphobia say, “Kellie Jay Keen (AKA Posie Parker), that shouty career Transphobe has decided to return to Nottingham next month.
It's been years since Transphobes have dared to stir the pot in Nottingham and we're not going to let it happen again. It's time for us to organise the BIGGEST COUNTER PROTEST we've ever had ✊🏳️⚧️
Nottingham Against Transphobia was formed when this bigot decided to come along to the city 3 years again. Indirectly, she's caused Nottingham to be a hotbed of trans campaigning. Since then we have grown immeasurably... But we still need your help!
Bring placades, bring your voice, bring your passion but most importantly... bring your friends. We know we can massively outnumber these sad little TERFs. Share this with everyone you know. Share this with everyone you DON'T know too! 🥰
We will aim to gather at Speakers Corner but will issue updates later to the time if we know their event is happening elsewhere.
Join us, and let's banish this woman from our lives once and for all!”
Dates for your diary:
Thursday 27th February
Manchester: Solidarity forever — 40 years of LGSM, 6pm- 9pm, M3 3ER
Host Jamiee Star says, “I am SO excited to be hosting a Q&A with Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) legends Mike Jackson and Jonathan Blake at @phmmcr this @lgbthistorymonth! Solidarity Forever is a special ticketed event taking place 6pm-9pm Feb 27th to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984-85 Miners' Strike and the founding of LGSM. Tickets are going fast, so grab yours through the link in my bio!
Join us to discuss the importance of solidarity campaigns between communities, memories of the strike, the legacy of LGSM and what impact their campaign had on the progression of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK.
On the night you can also visit the galleries to see the original LGSM banner in our 2025 Banner Hang, and for the first time at PHM, see LGSM's travelling exhibition which was created to continue fundraising to support mining families after the strike.
Don't miss this chance to hear about this pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history from the incredible activists who made it happen, and to ask them your questions!”
Tuesday 11th March
London: Support immigration raid resistance, TBC
In May last year, as the Conservatives ramped up rhetoric around the Rwanda plan they announced they would begin ‘rounding up’ those who might potentially be on the flights. A stunning community response in Peckham saw hundreds come down to block the coaches and declare that refugees are welcome here.
The coaches did not go that day. Those at risk of being offshored in the evil Rwanda plan stayed put in the community where they’d started to develop support networks, friends etc. Many brave members of the community (allegedly) sat in the road to block the coaches and were arrested. There have been a number of court dates already for those accused, with most being acquitted. There are still a number of future court dates, one of which is on 11th March.
In the coming weeks, I’ll write more about the stunning community resistance on that day, but for now, save the date for a rally outside the court (details TBC) in support of those who stood up that day and refused to be complicit in the horrors of the immigration system.
Thanks so much for reading. As ever if you would like your event, protest, fundraiser etc. included here or if you have any tips, press releases or save the dates please do drop me a line!
Hope to see you all on the streets!
ben x