Jo pushed her way through the cheering crowd, the air was thick with anticipation, at the front stood an unkempt man wearing ill-fitting clothes sporting a foppish haircut in front of a tall wall.

“Shall I launch another, like David slinging his stones at Goliath?”

The crowd whooped and hollered in support. The man took a step and launched a pebble from his hand, it soared up and away from the crowd over the wall. As it disappeared the crowd silenced itself in an unappeasable nervousness, until, mere moments later, the sound of glass smashing shattered the tension.

The crowd went wild. Jo watched on with bemusement as the strangely shaped man danced an uncoordinated jig.

“What’s he doing?” Jo asked the man stood next to her.

“He’s showing those people that we won’t be ignored.”

“What people?” Jo inquired.

“The politicians of course” the man spoke with unabashed belief in the authority of his own words. His view was fact, neither evidence nor emotion could persuade him to soften, let alone change his mind.

“Oh, ok” Jo agreed neutrally, she knew better than to say anything to this man, who was now giving her an aggressive stare.

Jo moved through the crowd as another stone was thrown, she stood next to a woman and asked the same question; What people?...

“The free loaders who scrounge around looking for free handouts from the government, stealing my tax money” The fires of certainty burned in her eyes.

Jo continued to walk through the crowd asking the same question, always getting a different response;

“The immigrants who come to take our jobs”

“Bringing the elites to their knees.”

“Experts who tell us how to live our lives”

“SJWs”

“The unjustly wealthy”

“The foreigner who comes here looking for handouts”

Jo continued through the crowd, no matter who she asked the same two things happened; the answer would be given with unshakable absolutism and, the answer would be unique and contrary to all previous answers.

Jo decided to approach the man.

“What are you doing?”

“What kind of simplistic questions is that? Isn’t it obvious? We are showing that we will no longer be ignored” The man threw another stone, to the jubilation of the crowd.

“Umm, no not really. I have asked several people in the crowd and no one seems to know. They give contradictory answers. Apparently, immigrants are here to steal jobs, while at the same time they are work shy and are a drain on the economy. How can that be?”

“What piffle paffle are you nonsensating woman?” The crowd heard this exchange and listened in; the man obviously was aware of the chance of further glory.

“We have one of them here ladies and gentlemen. A naysayer, you think this can’t be done, don’t you? You think these people weak, but we are not, we are strong, strong like Atlas holding the sky above his head.”

“No… I’m just wondering why you are throwing stones over this wall into somebody’s windows”

“Ah. So you are Cassandra here to speak your lies. Well we will not listen to you.” With that he threw another stone, which resulted in another almighty crash and a cheer from the crowd.

“Whose windows are those? If you break them surely you must have to replace them?”

“Replace them? Why replace them, we never had windows before. We are taking back control from the Mandarins like you, who wish to smother us in red tape and strip us of our freedom. but I say nay, never. This is it, do or die. Once they are gone there will be a windfall of bounty for us” A man handed him a bottle of Merlo,

“Thank you, friend, what a delightful drink. I hear they have a new flavour, Sensational Strawberry Sensation.” The man summarily drained the bottle, belching with exaggeration “Twice the flavours in one drink” Then threw the empty glass bottle clear over the wall to the admiration of the crowd.

Jo went to speak again but was booed by the crowd. She waited patiently and then asked her final question. “Who are you?”

“Why I am Spatacus, I am David, I am Churchill, I am Arthur, I am the future World King. I am John Al Sirob, remember that name as I am here to free us all”

Jo left the man to his antics. She walked down the road away from the cheering masses struggling to understand what she had witnessed. The man was quite clearly a clown. After a couple of minutes, she came across the gate to the grounds to which the wall bounded. On them a proud family crest read “admiration before preservation”. Below it the family name was displayed as Sirob.