Considering the legal obstacles put in the way of the Fuel Tax Protest together with the lacklustre publicity courtesy of the established media, it was a reasonably sized gathering in Hyde Park this afternoon. Not only farmers and truckers addressed the crowd, but also disabled groups, pensioners and, even Greenpeace were permitted to put their case.
If only the police had been so accommodating: when Friends of the Earth attempted to hold a counter action, it was broken up. They crossed into the road by Marble Arch and were pushed to the opposite side of the road from the park. They later tried to unfurl a smaller banner and were again told to take it down. Remember, this is Speakers Corner we're talking about, the last refuge of unlimited free speech in Britain, where anyone can say whatever he likes... supposedly. Seems the Fuel Tax protesters did a better job of defending it than the coppers did.
Also present were the Workers Revolutionary Party (daily paper "Newsline") and League of Spartacus (publication "Workers Hammer").
A delegation was due to go to No. 10, where somebody very important lives, apparently. Sensing it will be futile, David Handley said there could be a new initiative in january.