At 11.30am Trafalger square saw the gathering of around 80 protestors including wages for housework campaigners, soho on strike, english prostitute collective, male supporters from the payday network and diverse womens from all walks of life.

A mobile PA system parked up on the road and loudly broadcast messages from global actions and the demands of the womens strike.

There were around 12 police vans in attendance lined up along the side of trafalger square, although policing on the ground was light. After an impromtu negotiation with the police over the route the march was to take, the protestors moved off, with the march being led by the mobile PA and a gigantic multicultural female puppet head - complete with flowing yellow streamers listing all of the numerous countries around the world participating in the day of action.

Despite the pouring rain there was strong support as the women and male supporters paraded through the streets handing flyers to smiling passers by. The procession marched down whitehall chanting and cheering, past Downing street, before parading around parliament square.

There was an array of colourful banners to bring some cheer to the rainy streets, with slogans including:

'Global Women's Strike - March 8th 2001'
'The name of Unity - Autonomy (with thanks to the indigenous Zapatista movement)'
'Girls on Strike'
'Stop the World and Change it'

Others wore placcards around their necks to highlight the multiple roles that women fulfill (waged, low waged or not) including 'Care Giver and Office Worker' 'Who needs Monica when I've got Tony' 'Caring Work Counts' 'Care Giver and Firefighter'.

The march ended back at Trafalger Square where messages of solidarity with zapitista women and Turkish women in Prison were read out, speeches were made including a call to end the millions spent on weapons and wars, and other events occuring today were listed.

(Info on Global Women's Strike and International Women's Day at:  http://womenstrike8m.server101.com/)