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The STWC march tomorrow

Tryphena Absent

16:20 / 21.05.04

Usually I would put this in Gathering but I'm hoping people will look at this before 10am tomorrow morning so I'm cross posting.

I wasn't planning on going but then I read Michael Berg's piece in the Guardian and despite how disheartened I feel I also feel like I'd be letting the side down if I let my apathy get me. Especially as my STWC national march record is near perfect (I've missed one in the last 18 months).

So if anyone's going can they reply to this thread or better still, give me a ring if they've got my number. Thanks my lovelies.

17:35 / 21.05.04

I was thinking of going, but wasn't sure if anyone else would, particularly as there have been a number of them recently. But I would like to go with someone.

I'm up for it if you are!!??!

I was handing out leaflets for it this morning, so I'd feel a tad hypocritical if I wasn't there.

Where and when for meeting up? Starts from Embankment and marches onwards to Trafalgar Square.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

10:04 / 22.05.04

Sadly I'm working today, else I would have been there...

20:23 / 23.05.04

I ended up going along to this, but managed to get there just as the tail of march was 100 yards up the road, so I grabbed a placard and had to jog along to catch up with them. (being at the end of a march is kinda chaotic, especially when dodging the confusion of traffic as the police open up the roads again) All in all the march itself was a rather subdued affair, some chanting but no real mass effect, but there was still the diversity of attendee which was good to see.

It was a reasonably short walk up to Parliament Square and then along to Trafalgar Square. The organisers seemed pretty happy with how things turned out, they said they were happy with the few thousand who were there as they had actually expected only hundreds due to the short notice (only 8 days advance warning).

An open letter from the father of Nick Berg to the Stop the War Coalition was read out, it was refreshing to see that he laid the blame for his son's death directly at the feet of Dubbya Bush. It was quite moving as he implored eveyone who supported the Stop the War movement to dedicat themselves to arranging regieme change at home at the up coming elections.

The day was co-convened by Stop with War, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Assoc of Britain. The usual suspects were there, with probably about 12 speakers in all, along with Tony Benn (former MP), George Galloway (former Labour party member and prospective EMP) and Ken Livingstone (Mayor of Greater London). I was very curious to hear what Ken would have to say, especially as almost everyone else had been damning in their criticism of the lying triumverate of Bush, Blair and Sharon.

Of course Ken couldn't fully participate in the general name calling of all three because he has only recently returned to the fold of the Labour Party, and it wouldn't do to be seen publicly denouncing the leader of your party. He basically chose to attack the actions of Bush and Sharon and then say nothing about Blair. Disappointing, but not unexpected.

Did anyone else make it or hear any reports?

Our Lady Has Left the Building

05:42 / 26.05.04

Can anyone who went comment on this?

POLICE VIOLENCE BREAKS UP PEACEFUL PROTEST

Peace protestors were brutally attacked by the police on Saturday as they demonstrated outside Downing St.

At least two arrests were made, and some were very badly beaten. A Palestinian man was violently attacked by the police as he was leaving the demonstration.

A witness said: "The police have the same brute mentality as the US soldiers who torture Iraqis. We won't be intimidated by this - it only makes us stronger."

The non-violent protest, called for by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), began after the Stop the War Coalition demonstration had finished in Trafalgar Sq.

Around 500 people gathered in Whitehall, and blocked off part of the road, chanting "Free, Free Palestine", and "Israeli Terrorists - Out of Rafah". Drivers and tourists on open-top buses gave overwhelming support to the protest.

At 3.10pm the organisers called for the 'sit down' protestors to leave the road at 3.30pm - peacefully and together.

Mike Marqusee and Jeremy Corbyn MP were about to speak to the demonstration, when the police began violently shoving and manhandling protestors in order to move them back onto the pavement.

People argued and resisted peacefully, calling for calm, but the police continued to use excessive force. One protestor was left with a broken finger, and many others had cuts, bruises, and black eyes.

When a Palestinian man was leaving the demonstration, around five police officers kicked, punched, and beat him with a baton. They threatened to break his arm ,when they handcuffed him, and then hit his head against the van
door.

The other protester who was arrested had cuts left on the wrists due to extremely tight handcuffing.

The attack was out of order and deliberately provocative, Betty Hunter of the PSC told the Police afterwards, and said she will be making an official complaint.

If you have any video footage or photographs, or if you saw or experienced police brutality on the demonstration, please get in touch with the PSC:

info@palestinecampaign.org
020 7700 6192

Please circulate this widely to anyone who might have been at the demo.