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Media ignored anti election protests.

undercurrents | 08.06.2001 22:19

17 million people chose not to bother voting yesterday. In Manchester, hundreds of people got on their bikes to spread the message that they had lost faith in party politics. Police first of all failed to block them into a park but did later succeed in splitting the protest up forcing 50 cyclists into the Hulme housing estate.

Media ignored anti election protests.

17 million people chose not to bother voting yesterday. In Manchester, hundreds of people got on their bikes to spread the message that they had lost faith in party politics. Police first of all failed to block them into a park but did later succeed in splitting the protest up forcing 50 cyclists into the Hulme housing estate. A tight cordon was put in place with police vans and lines of officers blocking both ends of a busy road . Protesters calmly sat down as police intelligence went into disarray. Some people managed to walk in and out of the police cordon as senior officers tried to decide what they could achieve by detaining the protest. Local residents also got blocked in. Chaos soon turned to farce as an elderly Labour supporter displaying a red rosette pushed cyclists through the police line and let them continue with their protest.

A lone Television cameraman quickly appeared and then disappeared explaining that because the protest was political, the news outlet couldn’t report it due to a law stating that broadcasters were prohibited from screening anything which may sway the voters decision on election day. A frustrated media spokeswoman for the protest questioned why none of the media had told her this when she was trying to obtain media coverage in the previous four days. The blockade finally ended after an hour of negotiation and cyclists were released one by one, only to rejoin the larger protest.

Only five minutes away, activists had taken to Oxford street to stage a “State funeral” for the death of democracy. A full size coffin was carried by black masked pall bearers as a giant skeleton danced to the New Orleans style Jazz band. The march came to an abrupt stop outside the BBC HQ as dozens of police, some with video cameras quickly blocked the entrance. Street theatre and dancing on the street erupted as one activist said “the media say that there is apathy amongst the young people today but they continue to ignore anyone actually challenging the farce that it is called a democracy”. With police under the huge BBC logo, an Anne Robinson lookalike, stood on the coffin and read out the last Will of the state. Another speaker added “Blair is an irritating man having made many speeches claiming 'all of us are equal' whilst vast profits did the corporate coffers fill. Did this to you seem democratic?”

Not one microphone or camera was pointed out the window of the BBC thus the country's largest grassroot protest against the worst turn out in an election since 1918 went unreported.Undercurrents however ensured that the protests did get reported.

Video screenings will be held in London and Manchester in the coming weeks. Contact Undercurrents on  underc@gn.apc.org for details.


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undercurrents

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