Standing together as force for freedom

Founder of A Stand in The Park (UK) interviewed by The Light

- by RICHARD HOUSE

RICHARD HOUSE: Fifi, tell us about the background story behind this extraordinary cultural innovation that many readers know saved the sanity of so many during the covid madness.

Sophia Rose Ramsden: I started A Stand in the Park in the UK back at the beginning of 2021 after connecting with an old friend, Brady Gunn, in Australia. He'd started standing in his local park in Sydney wearing a fluorescent yellow vest, in defiance of the harsh lockdowns in the autumn of 2020. It took three months before anyone else joined him!

Brady and I had originally met on the Andaman Islands nearly 20 years ago when we were both solo-travelling in India. We went on to travel through Pakistan together (with a fair few mad adventures along the way!) and we'd remained in contact up until a few years prior. When Convid hit, I reached out to see what was happening Down Under. Brady told me what he'd been doing – and the rest, as they say, is history!

I'd been attending the London protests throughout that year, but was very keen to get people together locally, as the isolation was stark at that time and the ostracisation of anyone holding dissenting views severe.

Having the opportunity to build and establish a grassroots, community-led movement in Britain arose at the perfect time; not just for me as an activist looking to channel my energies into something resonant and meaningful on a personal level, but for all those people questioning the official narrative and who were left feeling disempowered and alone.

I advertised the first UK Stand (my own!) in February 2021, which turned into more than 800 people within a matter of weeks. We've been spreading the word ever since, and there are now Stands across the world.