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Determined to secure a good spot on the street, a female from Merseyside had woken her family members at the early hours to make their way to the capital. Her effort paid off. By the time the rally approached her on that day afternoon, she was sitting on a wall outside the political hub, the young nieces in portable seats at her feet, absorbed in their tablets.

She had unfurled two signs. One read “the leader is a fool” and the other proclaimed: “We’re not far right, we are British parents and we will not be hushed. End the abuse of our kids, mothers across the UK are making a statement.”

When asked why she was there, she appeared surprised. Isn’t it clear? “Because Keir Starmer is a jerk.” Why? “He’s curtailing our speech away.” Although you’re permitted to sit outside his house and call him a fool? “Well he is.”

As for the other banner, she designed it, she stated, “because I’m not far right and I’m sick of being branded it. I’m sick of coming to events like this and being accused of being radical. I am here for the correct reasons today, for the future of these kids. Individuals are coming in unauthorized and harming our kids and it’s must stop.”

The protest was billed as the “biggest freedom of speech” rally in British history. Some, however, prefer to characterize it as “Britain’s greatest ever far-right protest”. Unsurprisingly – with the exception one upbeat participant who stated “well, my views are extreme” – no one spoke with thinks of themselves in that manner. “We’re just accurate,” was heard again and again. As in: true.

There is certainty that many of the speakers at the gathering were bigoted, with many delivering variations on the “great replacement” idea. The participants were addressed with claims that “It’s not just Britain that is being flooded, it’s not just Britain that is being raped. Every single western country faces the same challenge: an orchestrated influx and displacement of European residents is happening.”

But a large portion of the attendees did not hear the speeches. Many failed to gain access on to the location to see the displays. The impression was that they were not there for the speakers in any case: this was about being recognized themselves.

A small number sported their bias with confidence, like the man with the misspelled placard that stated: “Why are white people dispised when our funds pays for everything.” But mainly these were “ordinary people” with “ordinary jobs” who “care about our children”, who said repeatedly that they’d “had enough". Frequently it was about migration. But often it wasn’t just that. They’d had enough of a nation they felt was no longer effective.

Rather than blaming a long period of budget reductions, or a capitalist system biased against the average person, for these people, “those without papers” were to blame. And Starmer was the scapegoat. “Look what he’s enacted to the rural communities, estate duties, you know, the medical system is failing,” said a participant from the region. “We have potholes in the highways, we can’t get medical appointments, people are actually left in the hallways of some of the NHS facilities and are not treated for lengthy periods and they’re in serious states. This land is becoming a disappointment.”

For him it was private: “I’m experiencing the loss of my oral well-being, right, because I’m a type 1 diabetic. And it’s the struggle of me trying to get my teeth fixed because of my diabetes. They don’t help individuals like me. But they would assist someone that arrives on our land from a dinghy and gets all benefits.”

No one used the words “asylum seeker” or “refugee”. It was “illegals” and “certain demographics”. All generalized with the behavior of a minute number of people.

All claimed that they were not against a problem with legal immigration: the many individuals who have come to the UK with permits, to pursue education or earn a living. They were not held responsible for putting pressure on public systems. Solely the people who came on dinghies – who constituted just 4% of newcomers in the past year.

The gathering ended as participants grew restless and authorities had closed all the exits, making a fast departure impossible. Since exiting, there has been grappling with how best to characterize what was witnessed and encountered. It was a far-right march, yes, but many people attended unperturbed by the fact it had been billed as such by many press organizations. They did not feel alienated by such an fringe label. In his talk, the organizer said something that may be accurate. “They tried to muzzle us for decades with labels,” he stated. “‘Bigot’, ‘Islamophobe’, ‘radical’. They are ineffective any more!”

When the far right becomes the common viewpoint, what language do we have to characterize what is unfolding? How have conditions led to so many feeling ignored, angry and angry? Until the core systems of the UK are addressed – the medical services, learning institutions, infrastructure, living expenses – this trend may only expand.