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

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15:02 / 16.02.03

Apologies Xoc. I would have loved a Trekchat, but there never seems to be time to see everyone at London meets.

My virtuoso Trek references in the "Homo Shit" in the Conversation thread were intended especially for you, though. Huggles.

Austrian Puppet Master

15:09 / 16.02.03

I was at the demonstration in Vienna - 15 to 30 000 people. It was great, but very cold, it even snowed. However, a great day.

15:09 / 16.02.03

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

Mm, I went along and eventually worked up the bottle to sit down. They surrounded us and after a while said they'd arrest if we didn't move, and seeing no purpose in getting nicked (if anything it would have brought bad publicity) I did what I was told like the good little citizen I am and pissed off. The police dragged a few people (15 or so?) who wouldn't move away, in some cases nastily but in general they were pretty good humoured. Not everyone got arrested anyway - some just went back and sat right down again! Eventually they got a bit stroppier, made a wall and drove people back and opened the road to traffic again.

The police then vanished into the background and a sound system turned up. A little ravelet began on / round the statue of Eros. The only bad bit was some people tried to go into the road again, including an old lady (excuse my ageism, but it surprised me). The police didn't like that and one officer picked one guy up and threw him over the railing onto the concrete. (As per bloody usual, I wasn't fast enough to get a photograph.) But the rave went on, and the police let it. They did nothing, though at one point a van's siren was activated intermittently - if it wasn't so unfeasible, I'd almost suspect they were trying to get it in time with the doof. (Ravey Davey Gravey from Viz moment or what?!) If that wasn't odd enough, then these random Hare Krishnas arrived and all joined in. As I left (I was bloody cold and wanted to meet up with people in the pub) there was an enormous conga comprised of Hare Krishnas and demonstraters and random tourist types snaking round the statue to a thumping baseline. It really was surreal, even by my standards.

Then I went to the pub and got drunk with the people who were still there - sorry to miss those of you I missed, BTW.

Wuz there any violence at all? A collegue says he saw Intifada charging riot police outside the US embassy... am I being wound up?

15:27 / 16.02.03

There were some shots on the news of some people scuffling, but I don't know any landmarks to place it. It was reported like it didn't matter, which is kinda cool. Atleast it wasn't 2 MILLION PEOPLE SHUFFLE ROUND LONDON AS WILLING FRONT FOR 13 DRUNK WANKERS TO BEAT THE POLICE UP LIKE IT'S CLEVER- SEE HOW EVIL THESE LIBERALS ARE??

15:30 / 16.02.03

Yup, some reports of a skirmish outside the US Embassy but sounds like it was nipped in the bud before it got going.

Don't know if it was the effect of the cold on brains and lips or of fatigue but one repeated chant near us transformed into the memorable:
In our thousands, in our millions,
We are all Palestillions...

15:55 / 16.02.03

From what I read, there were only about four arrests anyhow. Which was pretty good, really. Go us.

Our Lady of The Two Towers

20:08 / 16.02.03

A damn near unprecedented level of demonstrations around the world, the largest demonstration in British history... Condeleeza Rice has gone on telly to basically say "fuck them, we're still going in." and WarTone and Ian Duncan-Smith the Unfriendly Ghost ("Whoooo!") have said "yassah!".

So it's comforting to know that those in power listened to the people.

Brigade du jour

20:39 / 16.02.03

Is that true? Shit, maybe assassinating the fuckers isn't such a bad idea after all.

Hmm ... better say that was a joke in case I'm being monitored.

That was a joke. Ha ha.

Stoatie, what the fucking hell were you doing awake at 4.26 this afternoon? Jesus marimba, I was in middle of a nine-hour snoreathon by then, and I know for a fact you'd had as much sleep as I'd had, probably less. You truly have the stamina of an adamantium mountain goat.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:06 / 16.02.03

I got my flag back! (Well, I got a text message from someone saying they had it.)

(Felicia- I... umm... stayed in the pub too long this morning.)

Yeah, I heard 3 arrests- crowd numbers seem to vary spectacularly- anywhere between 700,000 and 2,000,000.

As usual, somewhere in between is probably the true picture.

Either way, it fucks the Cuntryside Alliance's meagre 400,000! Apathetic yokels that they are.

22:26 / 16.02.03

first protest I've been on practically since George senior went for Iraq the last time. Got a little lump in my throat - two Spanish girls singing in harmony behind us and the sun blinding us and all those people. I am just an old sentimental fool. Sadly I know that these protests haven't had much effect on the Bush and Blair administrations' lust for war and won't stop dear old Bertie putting his tongue as far as he can into America's, em, fundament but I am pleased to hear the Dublin turnout was so many and was frankly heartwarmed by the huge diversity of the crowd.

22:37 / 16.02.03

Sunday saw the largest march in Brisbane's history - 50,000+ people from all walks of life.

Total number of marchers in Australia were something like 750 thousand - 1 million+, from a population of 18 million.

And to prove our political leadership is just as enlightened as our British and American allies, this is what our Prime Minister John Howard had to say:
"I don't know that you can measure public opinion just by the number of people who turn up to demonstrations"

Oh well... at least it's mango season here.

m.e.

08:25 / 17.02.03

Got as far as the top of haymarket (where i stood for some hours chatting to people, and trying not to feel cold).

Not sure this will have much effect (although it is hard to dismiss London's biggest ever protest out of hand) But felt i had to do something.

08:39 / 17.02.03

London was fantastic and my first march ever, which made it all the more special, considering that it was also the largest ever in the UK. I like the Observer describing us as "Chartists with mobile phones", because I really admire what they contributed to a movement which eventually culminated in the Reform Acts, despite the fact that Chartism was dead in the water by then.

We may not be able to stop this war, more's the pity, but if we keep on shouting loudly enough, then changes will slowly come. The fact that there really were more than the 'usual suspects' present shows that we could, if everybody continues to pull together, be on the verge of exciting political changes.

(Or not, as the case may be, but I'm feeling optimistic and thus unwilling to call this a flash in the pan)

09:27 / 17.02.03

I got a coach from Winchester, expecting it to be student activists, and it was in fact filled with middle aged and old people, with their packed lunches and burberry coats. Spent five hours getting from embankment to Hyde park, in time to see Jesse Jackson and Ms Dynamite- woo hoo. Great march though, 'Make tea not war' and 'Buck Fush, Buck Flair' two of my favourite banners.
On the numbers- I passed embankment at about two and they announced that 800,000 were marching- at Hyde park at 4:30 they announced two million. I spoke to a friend of mine trapped in a pub in Piccadilly at 5, who confirmed the route was full of marchers still. That's easily 2 million people. The protest against Afghanistan last year had the same misreporting of the attendance- the police said about ten thousand, the organisers said 70,000, I was in Trafalgar square and reckon it over 50,000. Propoganda...
I tried to meet four seperate groups of people and failed dismally- it was impossible to move a lot of the time, never mind meet. Ah well, we protested, that's what counts.

09:35 / 17.02.03

Ooh! just remembered the best placard, a photo of Bush with an enlarged inset of his gold ring, covered in elvish, with the slogan 'FRODO FAILED!'

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

11:41 / 17.02.03

On the "achievement" front...
I think we all know that they're so dead set on doing it anyway that the will of the people will go ignored. But the people finally all got together- the crusty anarchist scum (myself included), the students, the middle-class families, a bunch of toffs, factions from various faiths, (insert demographic here- they were almost certainly represented)... in terms of the lessening of the likelihood of future conflicts, that has to be a step forward.

I just love (in a bad way) the fact that "we"'re fighting for "democracy", and the Blairmeister can dismiss the will of the people so out-of-hand...

It ain't just the left anymore. It ain't just anarchists anymore. People seem to have found a common ground.

Course, we'll all be at each other's throats again soon. But while it lasts, let's use the energy.

Tryphena Absent

14:42 / 17.02.03

Has everyone seen the photo's at BBC News? There's a great one of New York, a couple of London, a guy drumming for peace in Bermuda- worth a quick look.

uncle retrospective

16:06 / 17.02.03

Well, the Dublin march went better than anyone could have expected, the organisers were expecting 20,000 at most and got over 100,000, the second largest protest in Irish history. It was a great day, the sun was out and people were smiling, as other cities reported it was far more like a carnival than a march.

16:18 / 17.02.03

I wonder how many of the England protesters were also in the Countryside Alliance marches.

20:42 / 17.02.03

I love the fact that it's all about numbers. Presumably if we want to free, say, another Birmingham Four, only five individuals need to march in protest. Who knew attaining the Moral High Ground was so straightforward?

20:51 / 17.02.03

King Mob.

10:15 / 18.02.03

Guess that's a no? You might have to make it a direct link, bear.

10:34 / 18.02.03

Bollocks can't you see them?

Alright then it was just a couple of pics from the march didn't upload many because I wasn't sure if people would want to be seen all over Barbelith -

This should be the link -

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290649305

Maybe you can't like from imagestation?

10:51 / 18.02.03

It was fun. I like stopping war, if only for a day...

12:22 / 18.02.03

I remember the little thin white man with the blue head, Bear. I felt a bit sorry for him because he had no banner but he did have a red sled and that was pretty cool.

Seriously though, here’s the pic, pirated by me from snapper Bear Weber:

Liked the title too: "March in February"

12:35 / 18.02.03

Is that what you see a blue man? I actually see the pic but that must be because the pics are in my cache...

Cheers Xoc, there are a few more pics at that link if anyone wants a look.

At least we know what time we got to Big Ben

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:51 / 18.02.03

Bear- that's absolutely fucking ace.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:51 / 18.02.03

Bear- that's absolutely fucking ace.

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