excellent article from friday's Guardian on anti-war movement
info-shifter | 19.10.2001 10:54
were on our way!
Bombings give rise to new breed of protester
Flood of unaligned first-time volunteers swells traditional leftwing and pacifist ranks
Stuart Millar
Friday October 19, 2001
The Guardian
To the commuters in Whitehall on their way home from work, the weekly anti-war vigil probably looked like just another demonstration in front of Downing Street by just another obscure cause.
A crowd of about 100 people, some carrying placards, was gathered between two narrow sets of crash barriers, straining to hear above the central London rush-hour traffic a man standing on a low wall and speaking into a malfunctioning loudhailer.
Some of the conversation was distinctly old left too. "Are you anything to do with the New Worker?" one placard-bearing middle-aged activist asked a man trying to sell papers supporting the "Palestinian revolution". "No, we're communists," the paper vendor replied indignantly as he moved off through the crowd.
But a closer look at the protesters reveals a peace movement brimming with both renewed purpose and the energy brought by a flood of new members since the US-led bombing of Afghanistan began almost a fortnight ago.
"I am definitely not one of the usual suspects you would expect at this sort of thing," said Andrew Titchmarsh, a university lecturer. "I haven't been involved in any activity until all this started going on, but I know nobody who supports what is going on, and that level of opposition isn't being recognised."
Mr Titchmarsh is typical of the new breed of anti-war protesters who have swelled the traditional leftist and pacifist ranks of the peace movement: young, professional, and - crucially - non-aligned.
On Saturday, even the most hardened campaigners were stunned when more than 20,000 people turned out in London to demonstrate against the bombing campaign.
"Saturday's demonstration was amazing," said Mr Titchmarsh. "There was a far greater cross-section and more eclectic mix than anybody expected, from young people to grannies with their Zimmer frames."
The crowd at Tuesday evening's vigil was also made up almost entirely of new recruits to the movement, such as Mark Forrest, a history manuscript editor. "I'm fundamentally opposed to this war," he said. "I think it's unacceptable to bomb civilians. Even if you do not have civilians as your target, you know they are going to get hit when you drop bombs and that is immoral."
Gina Goody comes from the opposite end of the spectrum. The early years teacher has been turning up at peace vigils and demonstrations since the Vietnam war, but she says, she has never seen anything like the response to the current conflict.
"I've been really surprised by how many people have turned up and how many disparate groups are involved, although it's been really low profile in the press."
The turnout is good news for activists from traditional campaigning backgrounds. "It feels very different from campaigning before September 11," said Nicky Adams, a women's rights activist from the Wages for Housework campaign. "It is not the same stale old peace movement from the past. More people are coming out and more of these people are not aligned with any political organisations. They are doing it as individuals because they are angry about what is being done allegedly in our name. It is mindblowing."
The politicians are never going to admit that we are having an impact. But they won't be able to ignore us forever, especially now innocent people are getting killed."
Around the country, the anti-war movement is in full bloom, with organisers reporting unprecedented turn-outs at meetings and rallies.
In south London, the Stop the War Coalition's campaign is being coordinated by Rob Ferguson, a veteran campaigner who says he has been inundated with offers of support and help since the bombing began. "I know we are in this situation because of the most horrible of circumstances but in a certain sense it is encouraging to see people coming together in a way that is quite unprecedented. The politicians and some of the press underestimate just how determined, how broad and how deep the anti-war move ment is. We may still be a minority but we are a minority growing all the time and we are getting more confident."
Ben Neal, a volunteer administrator in Stop the War Coalition's main office, agreed. "The impact of the anti-globalisation movement has changed a lot of people's perception. There is more of a direct action or protest culture now than there maybe was during previous conflicts."
People involved in the movement cover the whole range of opinions, from people who agree with some form of action to get Osama bin Laden so long as it doesn't mean all-out bombing to radical anti-capitalists who are questioning the whole set-up of western foreign policy in a far more general way.
Mr Neal added: "Instead of sending military forces to Afghanistan, the place needs massive amounts of aid. And the west needs to rethink its foreign policy in the Middle East, otherwise people like Bin Laden and his terrorists will always have a reason to hate us. By carrying out military action, America and Britain are ignoring these questions, laying the ground for even more terrorist attacks and escalating the whole situation."
While the movement has had little impact on government policy so far, Rob Ferguson believes that the growing weight of opinion against the war might prove irresistible. "Whatever the smug confidence of some of the New Labour leadership at the moment, they ain't seen nothing yet. That is not bluster or bravado - it's a real sense of what is happening on the ground."
with acknowledgements to guardian newspapers ltd and stuart miller
Bombings give rise to new breed of protester
Flood of unaligned first-time volunteers swells traditional leftwing and pacifist ranks
Stuart Millar
Friday October 19, 2001
The Guardian
To the commuters in Whitehall on their way home from work, the weekly anti-war vigil probably looked like just another demonstration in front of Downing Street by just another obscure cause.
A crowd of about 100 people, some carrying placards, was gathered between two narrow sets of crash barriers, straining to hear above the central London rush-hour traffic a man standing on a low wall and speaking into a malfunctioning loudhailer.
Some of the conversation was distinctly old left too. "Are you anything to do with the New Worker?" one placard-bearing middle-aged activist asked a man trying to sell papers supporting the "Palestinian revolution". "No, we're communists," the paper vendor replied indignantly as he moved off through the crowd.
But a closer look at the protesters reveals a peace movement brimming with both renewed purpose and the energy brought by a flood of new members since the US-led bombing of Afghanistan began almost a fortnight ago.
"I am definitely not one of the usual suspects you would expect at this sort of thing," said Andrew Titchmarsh, a university lecturer. "I haven't been involved in any activity until all this started going on, but I know nobody who supports what is going on, and that level of opposition isn't being recognised."
Mr Titchmarsh is typical of the new breed of anti-war protesters who have swelled the traditional leftist and pacifist ranks of the peace movement: young, professional, and - crucially - non-aligned.
On Saturday, even the most hardened campaigners were stunned when more than 20,000 people turned out in London to demonstrate against the bombing campaign.
"Saturday's demonstration was amazing," said Mr Titchmarsh. "There was a far greater cross-section and more eclectic mix than anybody expected, from young people to grannies with their Zimmer frames."
The crowd at Tuesday evening's vigil was also made up almost entirely of new recruits to the movement, such as Mark Forrest, a history manuscript editor. "I'm fundamentally opposed to this war," he said. "I think it's unacceptable to bomb civilians. Even if you do not have civilians as your target, you know they are going to get hit when you drop bombs and that is immoral."
Gina Goody comes from the opposite end of the spectrum. The early years teacher has been turning up at peace vigils and demonstrations since the Vietnam war, but she says, she has never seen anything like the response to the current conflict.
"I've been really surprised by how many people have turned up and how many disparate groups are involved, although it's been really low profile in the press."
The turnout is good news for activists from traditional campaigning backgrounds. "It feels very different from campaigning before September 11," said Nicky Adams, a women's rights activist from the Wages for Housework campaign. "It is not the same stale old peace movement from the past. More people are coming out and more of these people are not aligned with any political organisations. They are doing it as individuals because they are angry about what is being done allegedly in our name. It is mindblowing."
The politicians are never going to admit that we are having an impact. But they won't be able to ignore us forever, especially now innocent people are getting killed."
Around the country, the anti-war movement is in full bloom, with organisers reporting unprecedented turn-outs at meetings and rallies.
In south London, the Stop the War Coalition's campaign is being coordinated by Rob Ferguson, a veteran campaigner who says he has been inundated with offers of support and help since the bombing began. "I know we are in this situation because of the most horrible of circumstances but in a certain sense it is encouraging to see people coming together in a way that is quite unprecedented. The politicians and some of the press underestimate just how determined, how broad and how deep the anti-war move ment is. We may still be a minority but we are a minority growing all the time and we are getting more confident."
Ben Neal, a volunteer administrator in Stop the War Coalition's main office, agreed. "The impact of the anti-globalisation movement has changed a lot of people's perception. There is more of a direct action or protest culture now than there maybe was during previous conflicts."
People involved in the movement cover the whole range of opinions, from people who agree with some form of action to get Osama bin Laden so long as it doesn't mean all-out bombing to radical anti-capitalists who are questioning the whole set-up of western foreign policy in a far more general way.
Mr Neal added: "Instead of sending military forces to Afghanistan, the place needs massive amounts of aid. And the west needs to rethink its foreign policy in the Middle East, otherwise people like Bin Laden and his terrorists will always have a reason to hate us. By carrying out military action, America and Britain are ignoring these questions, laying the ground for even more terrorist attacks and escalating the whole situation."
While the movement has had little impact on government policy so far, Rob Ferguson believes that the growing weight of opinion against the war might prove irresistible. "Whatever the smug confidence of some of the New Labour leadership at the moment, they ain't seen nothing yet. That is not bluster or bravado - it's a real sense of what is happening on the ground."
with acknowledgements to guardian newspapers ltd and stuart miller
info-shifter