Anti-lockdown protesters in London lob 'not very nice' tennis balls at Parliament

Thousands of anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protesters took to the streets of London on Saturday to express their displeasure over the nation's ongoing COVID-19 restrictions — many of which are theoretically set to lift in only four weeks. In addition to singing Pink Floyd, "prolonged booing," and chants of "shame on you," some of the marchers also lobbed tennis balls at Parliament, the BBC reports.

Asked why they were throwing tennis balls, one man explained, "They have little messages on them. Most of them are not very nice."

The nation's "freedom day" reopening was originally scheduled for June 21, only to be delayed over concerns about the extra-contagious Delta variant, which has resulted in rising cases in Britain. Saturday's protesters, though, didn't appear content to wait any longer. "It is very revealing that four in 10 Brits say their favorite pubs are still closed," Emma McClarkin, the chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, told The Telegraph. "Clearly there are a lot of locals out there still closed that play an important role in people's lives."

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One of the organizers of the protest, Kai Cant, anticipated another question that could be on people's minds: "Some might ask, why protest now, [when reopening] is only four weeks away? To which I answer, if we stay silent, this will present a greater potential for the government to delay again and again."