Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

peace in our time

'Highest death toll in Europe': Boris Johnson mocked up as Neville Chamberlain in Dover Cliffs stunt

An activist group is comparing Johnson’s actions to pre-WW2 appeasement.

PastedImage-37174 A still of the video projected onto the cliffs. Twitter / LedByDonkeys Twitter / LedByDonkeys / LedByDonkeys

BORIS JOHNSON’S RESPONSE to the coronavirus crisis has been compared to Neville Chamberlain’s “peace for our time” moment, in a giant projection beamed onto the White Cliffs of Dover.

The landmark on the Kent coast was lit up with a mock-up of the UK Prime Minister holding a scrap of paper saying: “Highest death toll in Europe”.

The stunt was the brainchild of Led By Donkeys, a group of activists famed for their giant billboards of politicians’ tweets.

The group said the black and white creation is a comment on the government’s “profound failure” and compares Johnson’s conduct to Chamberlain’s appeasement policy in the lead-up to the Second World War.

The huge video includes clips of Mr Johnson speaking early in the coronavirus outbreak, including: “Basically we’re saying wash your hands and business as usual.”

It was projected onto the famous coastline overnight, ahead of events marking VE Day on Friday.

Speaking to the PA news agency, a spokesman for Led By Donkeys said: “We held back from doing it for a long time, I suppose in a sense we were giving Johnson the benefit of the doubt.

“But as we started working on a timeline of government action on the coronavirus it became clear that this was an absolutely profound failure.”

The video, posted online this morning, points viewers to appeasement.org, where the group has put together a timeline of the coronavirus crisis.

The timeline allows people to make up their own minds about the government’s performance at a time when a lot of information is circulating, the group said.

The spokesman continued: “Obviously we accept that not everyone is going to agree with us, of course they won’t, but nevertheless over time I think people will come to accept that Johnson’s Government failed really quite profoundly at the moment of maximum danger.

“Johnson has for his entire career both explicitly and less explicitly compared himself to Churchill, and when the moment came, the defining moment of his career, he failed and he acted in a way that was more resonant of Chamberlain than Churchill.”

Your Voice
Readers Comments
94
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel