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Is everyone out on a march? How did it go, how did it feel?

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10:13 / 15.02.03

Hey it's quiet here this morning! Good vibes to everyone that's going on a peace march today. If you return with stories to tell and impressions gained, hows about posting them here later on?

Less searchable M0rd4nt

14:48 / 15.02.03

Hiya, Cosmicjamas. Good thread!

Me'n Lurid are sat in a cybercafe in Dublin's fair city, taking a breather. The anti-war march here looks huge-- hard to tell from the ground how many people are here, but the turnout is mighty impressive. Many different groups are represented, and there's a great atmosphere despite the cold. It's going great-- no sign of violence so far and an almost infinitesimal Gardai prescence.

I'm really heartened by the strength of the anti-war feeling here in Ireland; and being here, surrounded by passionate, enthusiastic peace protesters has given my apathy a well deserved kick in the nuts. I'm planning a trip to Shannon airport where a demonstration is taking place on March the 1st.

14:51 / 15.02.03

Well I made it despite the bridges next to Waterloo being shut.
Didn't manage to meet up with anyone due to more disorganisation but it was still a very fun demo. It was massive, very chilled crowd with lots of groups of drummers and the like playing away.
It was also nice to see a lot of home made placards and banners and people cutting the logo's off the 'official' Mirror and Socialist Worker ones

.
It was different to the other demo's I've been on as you have a whole cross section of society there, funniest thing I heard was some parents asking their young um' "What's that?" about McDonalds and she piped up 'Murder Burgers'

.
Didn't stay for the speeches cos I was tired and cold, were there any decent ones?

Less searchable M0rd4nt

15:08 / 15.02.03

60,000 at Dublin rally!

60,000! w00t!

15:45 / 15.02.03

I'm cheating by posting here because I haven't been on a march - it was just me at first light, placing my sigil painting at the war memorial. Brr. But I've just seen pictures on the news from the march in London and it looks massive. I feel very moved.

16:15 / 15.02.03

It was huge. Apparently there were a million people there. There was a really good feeling to it and a great mix of people, people drumming, playing trumpets, chanting and singing. The best boards included one saying "The only Bush I trust is my own" and the simple but true "Tony Blair is really annoying".

Four hours to walk from Embankment to Hyde Park though - I'm knackered. Hope the Princess Louise is packed with Barbelith peeps - sorry I can't be there.

16:40 / 15.02.03

Just got back from the Belfast rally which, apart from wrapping up a little early, was fantastic. Although not as big as the London, Dublin or Galsgow events, this was apparently the largest political gathering in Belfast for 30 years, which just made it feel even more important.

It's the first demo I've been at in a long long while and it felt wonderful, with a very tangible sense of solidarity despite the obvious differences in the age and politics of the protestors, from the Socialist Workers to the local Quaker church.

There was minimal police presence here as well Mord@nt, and definately a "Carnival" atmosphere, despite the seriousness of the event. Best bit - the two hundred strong Schools Against The War marchers skipping merrily down Royal Avenue chanting Who Let The Bombs Out? Bush! Bush! and Blair!

18:11 / 15.02.03

I'll be heading out towards the NYC protests soon. It seems to me that in 2 hours is when I'll be needed.

UPDATED NYC PROTEST INFO AT:

http://nyc.indymedia.org/

Our Lady of The Two Towers

18:43 / 15.02.03

I'll post more later, but at the moment I'll just say we made it from the NFT, to Black Friars Bridge, to Embankment, to the Houses of parliament, to Nelsons Column, to Piccadily Circus, which is where we stopped. It was heavy going. There were numerous starting points but the police seemed to be funneling everyone through Picadilly Circus which slowed everyone down and was a contributing factor to me and the others I was with deciding we wouldn't go down to Hyde Park.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

18:45 / 15.02.03

But even the anti-protesters News International network of Rupert Murdoch is admitting numbers are over 1 million in London, so that makes it one of the biggest demos ever and dwarfes the Countryside Alliance march.

Yeeeees!

19:26 / 15.02.03

Xoc and I met up with Stoatie, Bear, Potus, Flowers, Haus (and rather lovely, blue-haired friend), Illmatic, Kit-Kat Club, Rizla, Paleface, Anna de Logardiere, H.I.R. and others on the South Bank. Very cheerful, good-humoured march via Embankment to Westminster (where appeared the legendary banner 'Fuck Off Bush, You Cunt'). Lost the others just before Whitehall but kept going through Trafalgar ('Fuck Me, Not Iraq'), Piccadilly ('Not In My Mum's Name' - carried by a fortysomething man), Green Park ('Whack Your Sack, Not Iraq. Mike And Chris Masturbate For Peace') and finally Hyde Park.

March organisers estimate up to 2 million took part overall; police, perhaps unsurprisingly, reckon three-quarters of a million actually marched. True figure likely lies somewhere between.

Four hours of marching (or, more accurately, shuffling) and the formerly-daffodilled grass in Hyde Park really is fucked - distinctly post-apocalyptic 'Mad Max' feel to the muddy scene, as marchers burned their placards and warmed themselves on the flames.

First 'demo' I've ever attended (man). It felt nice.

Tryphena Absent

19:34 / 15.02.03

I feel like I've been dragged through SAS training for twelve hours but that was absolutely the most magnificent number of people I have ever seen on a protest march. Hooray for Britain, we might actually rock!

The Tower Always Falls

19:52 / 15.02.03

Damn, I'm jealous. Chicago had around 4 to 5 thousand people. Although the news will probably lowball that figure and the fring will try to up that figure to 10,000. It would have easily been double that if it weren't for the cold and lack of communication.

Talked to a very interesting woman who raised the point that most people who didn't use the internet had no clue that any protests were going on. So any older-ish people or poor people were left out of the loop, sadly. Still, I was pretty happy to see a diverse rowd and not just our traditional lefties. And we also protested the Pakistani registration and soon to be deportations so that's also a good thing...

20:51 / 15.02.03

Did anyone do the sit down protest at Piccadilly Circus? Bill?

I was a bit nervous about going through Piccadilly C, what with the two main marches meeting there, the BNP presence (not that I saw them - but I was mostly looking at the rucksacks of the people in front. At my height you don't see much at these things) and the sit-down plans. But in fact we cruised through and onto Piccadilly itself. It was slow, but no worse than the rest of the march.

I didn't hang about at Hyde Park - I was pretty worn out by the time we got there, and we just headed down to Sloane Square to go home. Was that good? Worth staying for?

20:56 / 15.02.03

Why why why why why are people fighting the police? Why?? It doesn't make any sense! "I am against war! I think you fighting a war is bad! So I will war on you! War against The Man! WWWWAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Fucking idiots.*

*Unless the police were being arsey and it was self defence.**
**Or you were duffing them up for not being able to count and being all picky and going "Aah, but they had to march past us. Right here. On this spot. Or they're pussies who can't even finish a march because theyr'e old. Whayt are they?? PUSSIES! Like women are! Not even real people... "***
***That's not an excuse at all.

22:07 / 15.02.03

The mellowest gathering of a million people I've had come round my gaff in a long time.
A nice collection of home-made banners too - my favourite being a placard worn by an old woman in a rain-coat and Thora Hird shoes. Simply, Sod this for a game of soldiers.

22:08 / 15.02.03

Am soooo very gutted that I didn't get to meet any of the Barbeloids today. I meant to make it down to the NFT but events conspired against me. Joining the march at Trafalgar square I made it to Hyde park but had a loooooong wait at Piccadilly Circus, and we eventually got too cold and decided to go to Victoria to the pub! Mates came down form the Gower St. march and so I didn't have the gumption to go the Louise and I'm really disappointed with myself cos I wanted to meet so many of you!! Maybe next time.

22:53 / 15.02.03

22:54 / 15.02.03

That's a link, BTW. A link with a shit-eating grin.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:58 / 16.02.03

That was ace. But I'm very, very tired now so I won't go into detail. Other than to say it was ace.

01:05 / 16.02.03

T'was indeed. Having exited the Princess Louise relatively early (just plain knackered, really), we headed home, had a hot bath and I dozed off for several hours. Just woke up again, still feeling muscle-dead (but in a good way) and enjoying the last of that warm, glowy, toasty feeling.

Has to be said, Stoatie, your wordless pirate banner hugely rocked - even more so than the frankly Wildean 'Tony Blair Is A Nob-Faced Wanker' or the nicely succinct 'War Is Pants'.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

01:07 / 16.02.03

I've a horrible feeling I may have left it in a pub afterwards though. But I know someone who's a regular there, so I have high hopes of getting it back.

03:06 / 16.02.03

It was my first demo today. Toronto, despite the -25c weather, managed about 10-20,000 people. Really really great. People streching for miles, and no police problems or anything. It felt really great to be in the midst of everyone! The pictures of London look incredible.

Brigade du jour

04:00 / 16.02.03

My firsts demo too! And it was great. All those warnings from my mummy
about bombs and drugs and poo proved groundless.

But I'm not nackered and at work having had ninety minutes of sleep in 36 hours. God I love my life ...

08:01 / 16.02.03

Over 100,000 in the Adelaide march from Victoria Square along King William St to Parliament House in North Terrace. Weather was good -- overcast, light drizzling rain, mid-twenties. Some excellent banners, posters (lots of punning on Howard 'going Bush'), effigies of Howard as lapdog, etc. - a great turn out in all. Unfortunately I was too far back to hear the speakers, who included an American academic (American Studies)from Flinders University and an Adelaidean whose son was killed in the Bali bombings.

pointless and uncalled for

10:04 / 16.02.03

The first demo that I have marched in as opposed to viewed and photographed.

On one hand being part of an estimable 2 mil makes me feel very proud and on the other very insignificant.

Good to see such a broad middle-class contingent present and, even though I don't expect this to truly prevent war, this sort of event has a lot of other ramifications which are both good (in an IMHO way) and important.

11:22 / 16.02.03

My first march too, and most enjoyable. My back is giving a little grief today, though. And I think potus' point about the middle-class contingent is important. I just can't quite explain why, yet, but I saw tons and tons of families out marching as well as the students and groups, etc, and it was one of the friendliest crowds I've been in for years.

Did anyone work out a final score for Stoatie's I-Spy game?

12:31 / 16.02.03

Nothing to say other than that fucking rocked - twas fucking cold though - nice one Barbelith crew! Lovely to see many other faces in the pub later on - it were brill.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:32 / 16.02.03

I have to 'fess up right now and say that I actually forgot to take a pen, so I didn't play. But my boss, who I gave a couple of sheets to, was most proud that he'd spent most of the day marching behind the Spartacists.

(And yes... I was right... the fact that my boss was there too on fuck all sleep meant that I was treated very leniently- ie ignored- all the times I dropped off at work last night. 'sall good.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

12:36 / 16.02.03

... oh yeah... and all these first-timers... (whispers) think we can get 'em all out on Mayday too? (I am evil.)

13:15 / 16.02.03

Just gimme a meeting place. After yesterday, I finally want to start doing something other than re-reading No Logo.

13:22 / 16.02.03

I liked going on the march (first timer too). I'm not sure if it did any good in persuading our government to change their attitude, but it made a difference to me to see all the other people who cared enough to get out and march.

The pub after was absolutely gorgeous - I loved the fire! It's always good to come down from Brum and meet all these people who are so friendly.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

13:26 / 16.02.03

Don't you worry, paz. There'll be a Mayday thread here.

Meanwhile... walking around a bit and shouting, while not to be dissed, does have its limitations...

We're all riding high on a wave of righteous indignation right now...

let's use it .

"If it feels good, keep it with you." - some guy I just invented so's I didn't have to argue my point.

Though said point is actually meant passionately.

Christ, I need to sleep.

14:18 / 16.02.03

Yeah, that was really neat. Don't know if I've anything further to add. Was a pleasure to wander around London with so many nice people united behind a pirate flag.

(On an inside page of the Observer today there's an aerial photo with Big Ben in the foreground, and you can clearly make out a couple of banners which were near the Barbelith contingent at that point - I looked riiilly riilly closely, but sadly I couldn't make out the Skull n' Crossbones anywhere. But I'll still take great pleasure in cutting it out, circling the general area and saying "see that? one of those ittle people 'round there is me!" to a disinterested world.

14:46 / 16.02.03

Cold, bloody cold, but not as cold as a Kurdish refugee in the mountains in Winter I guess.

It was great and the volume of good people turning up (most of whom had a lot more than my fifteen minute journey to the start of the march as well) was intoxicating. The turn out was obviously massively in excess of any realistic expectation, which gives the whole thing much more force and accounts for the ferocity of Bliar and his well rehearsed apparatchiks in rebuttal.

Sadly, the sheer size of the thing meant it was a frustrating business shuffling along and getting nowehere fast at several points, which everyone seeemed to be astonishingly good natured about, but by the time we got to Hyde Park as dusk was falling, all the inspiring speeches were well over and it did feel a bit as if only celebs and those who had skipped the march would have been able to enjoy the rally.

But fortunately, our spirits were not dampened for long, as we had the roaring fire and the company of other hobbits ahead at the Prancing Louise!

Really sorry not to have discovered who some of the people there were but plead in my defence that I was shagged out and am a shy boy really. I did meet H.I.R, Rizla and Bitchlaces for the first time though. Was waiting dutifully to introduce myself to reflect (and have a Trek talk) but he was having such deep conversation with Illmatic if seemed rude to interrupt. Had I known about his legendary huggles to come, I surely would have done though.

La Lotta Continua!

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