Boris Johnson appeared 'rattled' by booing crowd chanting 'stop the coup' during speech
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Boris Johnson appeared to be “rattled” by loud chanting from protesters who threatened to drown out his speech outside 10 Downing Street on Monday evening.
In a statement to the nation, the Prime Minister said he "did not want an election” and urged MPs not to block a no-deal Brexit.
But protesters who jeered and booed Mr Johnson, chanting "stop the coup", were easily audible in live news broadcasts.
One Twitter used wrote: "I'm not sure I've ever seen a Prime Minister make a statement outside number ten while almost drowned out by a large protest a few meters away. @BorisJohnson looked rattled and seemed to lose track of what he was saying a few times.”
Boris Johnson visibly rattled by the chanting throughout his speech!! As unpopular as she was, never saw this happen to Theresa May!! Johnson fecking it up nicely as I knew he would!!! 😂😂😂 https://t.co/w12dd0lWRM
— Dame Rufus T RED🖐🏽 (@RufusTFirefly61) September 2, 2019
The Guardian columnist Owen Jones tweeted: "The hubris of an unelected Prime Minister shutting down Parliament, and threatening to disobey the law and purge his enemies meets its nemesis - the people drowning him out with a defiant cry of "STOP THE COUP!"
Johnson ‘looked weak’
ITV news reporter Shebab Khan, who was at Whitehall, wrote: "Volume of the chants doubled as Boris Johnson stepped out."
The #StopTheCoup protesters left Boris Johnson looking weak, rattled and besieged - and they were drowning out his message. Let’s hope that’s a foreshadow for the election!
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) September 2, 2019
Mr Johnson appeared to falter as he delivered the statement in which he said MPs publicly opposed to a no-deal would "chop the legs out" from under the UK negotiating position if they voted to block a no-deal.
He also said that the UK must leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.
“I want everybody to know there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay,” he said. “We are leaving on the 31st of October. No ifs or buts.
Read more from Yahoo UK News:
Boris Johnson legal bid to stop him suspending parliament
Prime Minister insists he ‘doesn’t want an election
Boris Johnson accused of 'constitutional outrage'
“We will not accept any attempt to go back on our promises or scrub that referendum and armed and fortified with that conviction I believe we will get a deal at that crucial summit in October, a deal that Parliament will certainly be able to scrutinise."
Outcry
Mr Johnson’s speech follows mass outcry over the decision to suspend parliament for five weeks, which critics argue will essentially force through a no-deal Brexit.
The crowd of protester is split in Parliament Sq and Downing st. (roughly 600 ppl)
Voice of Boris Johnson was covered by protest shouting stop the coup outside Downing st.
Embarassing for a PM#StopTheCoup #StopTheBrexitCoup #StopBrexit— EmyMuzzi (@Emymuzzi) September 2, 2019
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of UK cities to voice their anger on Saturday.
Events were planned in more than 30 cities and towns across England and Wales after the decision to prorogue parliament ahead of the UK’s EU departure was announced.
The ‘stop the coup’ protests were organised by groups including the anti-Brexit Another Europe is Possible and Momentum, the movement set up to support Jeremy Corbyn.
