English Radicals Call for LA-Style Uprising in South London Amid Global Immigration Crackdown
Executive Summary
A UK-based anarchist group has issued a call to action for South Londoners to join what they frame as a global uprising against authoritarian governance and immigration crackdowns, aligning their protest with ongoing unrest in Los Angeles. Scheduled for June 21, the demonstration draws explicit parallels between London’s gentrification struggles and the militarized raids targeting immigrant communities in LA, urging solidarity through coordinated revolt. The call emerges as LA experiences widespread civil unrest, prompting a federal response including the deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines.
Analysis
The group behind the call to protest, Act for Freedom Now, released a bilingual flyer in English and Spanish invoking themes of shared struggle, anti-capitalist resistance, and urban displacement. They urge South London residents to identify with the LA rebellion, framing both as responses to state violence and systemic oppression. The target of their ire includes multinational corporations like AECOM, which they claim is complicit in both gentrification in London and urban militarization in preparation for the 2028 LA Olympics.
The LA riots, which began in early June, erupted over President Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement. Clashes between protesters and federal forces escalated rapidly, prompting the deployment of 4,700 troops and resulting in mass arrests, a citywide curfew, and claims of heavy-handed tactics. A federal appeals court is now reviewing the legality of Trump’s use of the National Guard in defiance of California state objections.
While mainstream media has downplayed the scale of violence, right-wing outlets and local observers have documented incidents ranging from arson and looting to attacks on law enforcement. Protesters cite systemic abuses, mass detentions, and ICE raids as justification for their actions. Activists in South London seek to echo this momentum, not only opposing UK immigration enforcement and gentrification but celebrating what they view as grassroots rebellion.
The linkage of LA’s events to local conditions in South London signals a growing transnational solidarity movement. The call to “spread the revolt” reflects a strategic narrative shift from isolated local grievances to global anti-authoritarian insurgency. Authorities are likely to view such calls with concern, especially amid fears of imported unrest and the rhetorical romanticization of riots.
