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Violent Protest Chant Sparks Outrage, California BBQ Law, Trans Athlete Protest | 5/18/26 FIRST LOOK
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Foreign hey everybody, I'm Dave Rubin and this is First Look. It's Monday, May 18, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. Chants calling for Tommy Robinson to be shot in the neck like Charlie Kirk erupt during massive anti Israel protests in London. Los Angeles politicians are now floating restrictions on backyard BBQs, while critics say California's real wildfire problems are being ignored. A transgender athlete dominates girls track events in California, sparking podium protests and outrage from parents. Let's dive in. We start in London, where truly disturbing scenes unfolded over the weekend during dueling mass protests that expose just how extreme parts of the political climate in Europe have become. At one point, during a pro Palestinian demonstration, a group of protesters was caught on video chanting, shoot him in the neck like Charlie Kirk. The crowd was referring to British activist Tommy Robinson and invoking the attempted assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk here in the United States. The video quickly spread online and sparked outrage across both the UK and America. The protesters chanting the slogan were waving Palestinian flags as they marched through London during a Nakba Day rally. Now this all unfolded alongside a separate massive rally organized by Tommy Robinson called Unite the Kingdom. And the scale of that protest was enormous. An estimated 50,000 demonstrators marched through London carrying Union Jacks, St George's Cross flags, Scottish and Welsh flags, and wearing Make England Great Again hats. The rally moved through Kingsway, crossed London Bridge and ended in Parliament Square. And the message from the crowd was very Britain's immigration policies have failed, free speech is under attack, and many citizens feel they are losing their national identity and culture. Some protesters openly demanded mass deportations, tougher immigration enforcement and an end to arrests over social media posts. Now, Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, used the event to directly attack Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Britain's political establishment. During his speech, Robinson said, we're a Christian nation. Why do we keep seeing demonstrations from Palestine in our nation while Christians are being butchered across the Middle East? He later blasted Starmer online, calling him a wanker. Now, predictably, Starmer responded by condemning Robinson's movement entirely ahead of the rally. The Prime Minister warned its organizers are peddling hatred and division, plain and simple. He also vowed, for anyone who sets out to wreak havoc on our streets, you can expect the full force of the law. And in a move critics say reeks of authoritarianism, Starmer's government reportedly revoked visas for so called far right agitators ahead of the rally. Those blocked from entering the UK included Polish MEP Dominic Tarchinsky and anti Islam activist Valentina Gomez. Meanwhile, independent journalist Nick Shirley, who attended the event, said he was warned he could potentially be banned from the country simply for speaking there. Shirley said, when you see an attack on free speech like that, it really makes you wonder where this country is going. And honestly, that's becoming the bigger issue here. Because while British authorities continue aggressively policing speech and political dissent, openly violent rhetoric from left wing crowds increasingly gets brushed aside. Now to California, where politicians somehow looked at years of catastrophic wildfire mismanagement and apparently decided, you know what the real problem is. Backyard BBQs Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman is facing backlash after supporting emergency restrictions on on outdoor fires, including backyard grilling during red flag warning periods. And critics say the proposal is the perfect example of how California's leadership constantly targets ordinary citizens instead of addressing the actual causes of the state's wildfire disasters. Now, technically, Rahman's defenders say this isn't a total BBQ ban. The proposal would apply specifically during high winds, if extremely dry conditions and elevated wildfire risk periods. But the broader criticism remains. California politicians continue pushing symbolic restrictions on regular people while ignoring the state's chronic failures in forest management, infrastructure maintenance and public safety. Because let's look at the actual wildfire record over the last two decades. Many of California's most destructive fires were caused by lightning strikes in overcrowded forests, faulty power lines and neglected infrastructure. Arson or criminal behavior, not families grilling burgers in the backyard. Some examples are staggering. The 2020 Markley fire started by an arsonist trying to cover up a murder. The 2024 Park Fire sparked by an intoxicated driver who pushed a burning vehicle into brush after a crash and the devastating 2025 Palisades fire. Authorities say it was intentionally set by an anti capitalist extremist, reportedly furious at wealthy residents and obsessed with anti corporate violence. Meanwhile, the few accidental civilian cause fires that did occur often involved situations already illegal under existing California law, like unauthorized campfires. So critics argue Raman's proposal isn't really about fire prevention at all. It's about shifting blame onto ordinary Californians instead of confronting years of government incompetence. And honestly, that criticism is resonating because people are exhausted. Residents already deal with sky high taxes, soaring insurance costs, rolling blackouts, water shortages, crime spikes, homeless encampments, and now politicians hovering over whether you can grill a hot dog in your own backyard. The backlash became so intense that even reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who's running an insurgent style mayoral campaign in Los Angeles, mocked the proposal publicly and framed it as another example of California's political class completely losing touch with reality. And honestly, that's what this story symbolizes more than anything else. Instead of fixing aging infrastructure, forest overgrowth, water management failures or power grid problems, California politicians keep finding new ways to regulate normal life for law abiding citizens. At some point, people stop viewing that as governance and start viewing it as dysfunction. And finally, major controversy erupted again in California after a transgender athlete dominated multiple multiple girls track and field events at a regional championship meet over the weekend. 17 year old A.B. hernandez of Harupa Valley High School took first place in the girls long jump, high jump and triple jump. The performances immediately sparked backlash from parents, athletes, coaches and spectators, and the tension was visible throughout the medal ceremonies. At several podium events, female athletes appeared to intentionally avoid Hernandez. One competitor skipped the podium entirely. Others physically distanced themselves during photos. And with nearly 2,000 spectators in attendance, many openly voiced frustration that biological males are still being allowed to compete in girls sports. Now, in what looked like an attempt to contain the backlash, California Interscholastic Federation officials implemented a controversial pilot policy. Under that policy, female athletes finishing directly behind a transgender competitor were also awarded duplicate gold medals, so effectively two winners. But critics say that completely misses the point because the biological female athletes still lost the actual competition, lost records, lost placements and potentially lost scholarship opportunities. One especially striking moment came during the high jump ceremony. Hernandez stood atop the podium alongside Oak park athlete Gwyneth Mareja, who received a duplicate gold medal despite clearing a lower height. And during the triple jump ceremony, another athlete expected to stand beside Hernandez reportedly never appeared at all, leading many spectators to believe she intentionally refused to participate. Parents at the meet were furious. Olivia Viola's mother, Tracy Houghton, told reporters she's fighting for the rights of female athletes. It shouldn't be controversial. Her father added, where are the adults fighting for the kids? Another spectator, Mary Davis, described the situation as neo misogyny. She said, we fought hard for Title 9. We are not going backwards now. Title 9, of course, is the federal law designed specifically to protect women and girls from from sex discrimination in education and athletics. Critics argue California is now openly undermining those protections, and some of the sharpest criticism targeted governor Gavin Newsom directly. Parents accused Newsom and California Democrats of trying to silence girls who object to biological males competing against them by labeling them bullies. Chino Valley School Board President Sonia Shaw called the situation diabolical. She argued California is sacrificing scholarships, championships, records, privacy and fairness to satisfy activist ideology and remember this issue has already become national political territory. Last year, President Trump blasted California's transgender sports policies on truth social, writing, this is not fair and totally demeaning to women and girls. And honestly, scenes like this are exactly why this debate isn't going away anytime soon. Because no amount of duplicate medals or PR language changes what millions of Americans can plainly see happening. Girls are being forced to compete against biological males and many are increasingly unwilling to stay quiet about it. And that's your first look this Monday. Quick recap. Chants calling for Tommy Robinson to be shot in the neck like Charlie Kirk erupt during London protests. California politicians face backlash after floating restrictions on backyard BBQs amid wildfire concerns. And a transgender athlete dominates girls track events in California, sparking major controversy and podium protests. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with first Look. See you tomorrow.