The small action is highlighting the rubbish spewed out by the corporate media day in day out.

One of the leaflets reads "The media like to portrey themselves as fair, objective reporters of the world's events. However, the media operates on a free market, where profit is the motivating force. This influences its impartiality..."

- Passers by are very keen to see what the stall is (and why the police are about - recently the local Islington paper ran a story saying protestors intent on violence were set to storm through Angel islington - I kid you not!)and to talk about all the things the media has been saying about mayday demonstrators etc etc

Around 12 police are in attendance, and were eager to get copies of all the leaflets - "we're collecting them you know" said one copper - though he did look quite interested in the Eros Beltane action flyer :)

Although there have been some very worrying instances of police stupidity already today (such as the attack on the Critical Mass) some police do appear to be human. While I was waiting for the protest in Kingsway that was cancelled (demonstrating my amazing ability to always have out-of-date info) the police and bouncers were quite friendly and we joked about the complete lack of picketing. I think anti-capitalists have to be careful not to absurdly generalise about the police and media in the way they often do themselves. Pot calling kettle black and all that.

I totally agree. Last month at Critical Mass, we were escorted by two very nice police officers on bike. The protest, as usual apparently, was not organised, ie. there was no plan, no pre-decided route. And yet the police helped us.

So why did they attack today's Critical Mass ? Do they read too much of The Evening Standard and The Sun ?


Sorry, can't join this morning, still stuck in the City... l8r !

I was just at the Glasgow march, and I'm dissapointed with the attention that it is given by the public. Why on a Tuesday also. People do have to work, no matter how much they resent the fact. We need to more vocal and we need to find ways to inform the masses of our good intentions and get it out of their heads that what we stand for is violence and destruction. People are ignorant of our causes and the people who should be joining us in our fight, eg. the people in the housing schemes and those surviving under the capitalist system. Stop being a clique and open our arms to EVERYONE!

Mayday-medecine et al. I got S60'd with the critical mass lot. Your phone didnts work, kept saying not in service but I had a nice time, got rid of 500 odd newspapers a lot to all the journalists and film crews etc. Got locked out of oxford circ because the S60 had already been served there so gave out the rest of my leaflets and left. See you on the list!

Ya basta

SC

p.s. I have never seen so many police men

Doh...couldn't get the coach down for this. Though I gave the anti-coporate media flyer (all my own work..) out all over Manchester, initially on my own, and then with the march which kind of spontaneously formed fromm all the groups doing stuff in the city, mainly Globalise Resistance though. We managed to march for quite a while up and down roads, though the police blocked us in with horses a couple of times, we managed to dodge them until they finally trapped most people in an area around a bus stop by Picadilly Station. Their argument was that it was cos they had reason to beleive we were attemtping to storm the Town Hall. (....Riiiight...) They kept us their for a while and then we moved onto protest Balfour Beatty (sp?), but the police aren't letting us anywhere near the building, though they're being quite nice about it, last i saw. The main public interaction consisted of a lot of flyers from various groups and individuals, and a bit of chatting, which was generally all really well received.

Hi temporary news boy, if that is your real name GG. Sounds like quite a lot of good educational stuff went on. I am proud of you, and all the others with you!

That harbinger newspaper by crimethinc (www.crimethinc.com) i got from the newsstand was bloody brilliant. Well worth a read for well... anyone open-minded.