From the Evening Standard, a week ago:
Farmers will stage another tractor protest outside Parliament on Monday as they continue their campaign against changes to inheritance tax rules.
The tractor rally, organised by Save British Farming, comes as MPs debate an e-petition with more than 148,000 signatures calling to keep the current inheritance tax exemptions for working farms.
…Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected to address farmers making a pit stop on their way into London on Monday morning.
That “pit stop” was actually a distinct event called “Battle for Britain”; DeSmog has further details:
Monday’s event, which preceded over a thousand tractors descending on Westminster, was organised by the anti-vax campaign group Together Declaration and the protest organisation Farmers To Action.
Set up in 2021 to oppose mandatory Covid-19 protection measures, such as lockdowns and vaccines, the Together Declaration has since launched a “no to net zero” campaign that calls for the UK to scrap policies designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Together has also campaigned against London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone scheme, and low traffic neighbourhood schemes across the country designed to combat air pollution.
The group has recently partnered with Farmers To Action, which has used recent anti-inheritance tax campaigns to spread anti-climate views.
The leader of Farmers to Action, Justin Rogers, has spread conspiracy theories across his social media accounts. He has claimed that “climate change is one of the biggest scams that has ever been told”, propagated by “our governments and their puppet masters.”
Rogers has also claimed that oil and gas are renewable, and that carbon dioxide cannot be dangerous because it “feeds plants”.
On Twitter/X, Rogers is known as “The F in Farmer”, and his most recent post exhorts readers to “wake up” to what another poster describes as “hidden plans for a Govt Terror attack to intentionally release Foot & Mouth Disease once again”. He has also affirmed his “100%” “Anti-Zionism” (H/T @_johnbye) in reply to a user who denies anti-semitic intent but who posts claims such as “zionist Jews ran every aspect of the covid ‘pandemic’.”
The “Battle for Britain” event was heavily branded with black Together Declaration placards bearing the message “WITH OUR FARMERS”, flanked by two QR codes; an oversized version of the placard also formed the backdrop to the stage, from which Farage reportedly told the crowd that the government wants to take over farmland “because they’re planning for another five million people to come into the country”.
After the various speeches (1), the tractors made their way to Westminster to join the main protest – the Daily Express, slightly confused, saw this as part of the “Battle for Britain” rather than as a distinct event. However, not everyone was happy with the Together Declaration’s high visibility (although the group’s placards also appeared at earlier protests): conspiracy influencer James Melville of No Farmers No Food (noted for its own bright yellow placards) took to Twitter/X (H/T @_johnbye):
All I care about is the best interests of farmers. I will burn every fucking bridge against any manipulative fucker who seeks to manipulate this horrendous situation for farmers for their own means.
I saw first hand the horrendous difficulties that farmers face within my own family farm. For decades. It’s difficult to fully express how difficult it was. No money. No security. No time off. And all of this was done for the sole purpose of feeding a nation and a love of the land.
I will absolutely not accept have a bunch of non farming politico and campaign group grifters exploiting the perils of farmers for nefarious agendas that include slapping on QR codes at protests to drive folk to sign up as paid members
Curiously, however, Melville is also himself involved with #together, as a member of the group’s “cabinet”. When John Bye asked him whether he would be resigning he got a block, but Melville then also deleted the post.
I previously noted conspiracist involvement with farmers’ protests here.
Note
1. According to a flyer, the line-up comprised “Nigel Farage, Justin Rogers, Alan Miller, June Mummery, Liam Halligan, Fred Roberts, Adam Brooks, Phil Barnes, Tess Wheldon, Matt Hellyer, David Irwin, Rhianna Deeble, Darren Selkus, Marc Harvey”.
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