With a huge police presence in whitehall people gathered for the regular tuesday vigil opposite downing street.

Under the watchful eye of police surveillance cameras speakers addressed the current situation. Saying how many people feel disempowered now that bombing has started they urgend that there are still many areas that protests can have an effect. Firstly and simply the governments need to be mindful of public opinion as the military action moves through its different phases.

More importantly the current action was announced as a trio of actions - military, diplomatic and humanitarian - and it is the humanitarian effort which is being least addressed. Speakers pointed to the advice and pleas given by many relief agencies which seem to be being ignored, highlighting the closure of the pakistani border (seemingly under the request of the US) as one of the main problems.

People were encouraged to joing the CND national demo in london this weekend on the 13th (see www.cnduk.org )and a non violent sit down protest was announced for Sunday 21st October.

The crowd were told that ARROW had negotiated permission from the police to gather at 1pm at Temple Place WC2 and to march down whitehall, but that police had not given permission for the sit down protest, which would continue regardless. People would be needed both to risk arrest and to provide crowd support for those who would be risking arrest, and that the guidelines for the action where no violence, no threat of violence, no property destruction, no drugs and no alcohol - people were encouraged to wear black and not to shout slogans.