London Civil Disobedience Sit Down report
rikki blue | 21.10.2001 20:55
Respectable turn out to this event despite atrocious weather. A successful demonstration - but where are the media reports?
Just got back from the "civil disobedience mass sit-down" in Whitehall (London) today. This was called by ARROW who are sponsored by the Green Party, CND, and Campaign Against The Arms Trade. Despite torrential rain and cold weather, there was a turn out of roughly 500 people at the start of the march and we walked along a cordoned off Strand and started to walk down Whitehall accompanied by a huge number of police and quite a large number of press and television cameramen/women.
As we approached Downing Street it became clear that the police had put barriers across the road penning us towards the pavement and so the sit-down occurred maybe two or three hundred yards short of Downing Street. The weather conditions remained atrocious, and yet around 60 people sat in the road while the rest of us stood around them giving support. Police were "inviting" people to carry on with the march, but there was absolute solidarity and we remained where we were. The police then indicated that they intended to open up the road enough for one line of traffic to pass and that anyone hindering this would be liable for arrest. However, despite a couple of attempts to pick people up and move them, everyone 'sat' their ground, and the police backed off. Votes were taken as to the further progress of the sit-down and it was agreed after an hour to continue for a further half hour. Formal speeches were interspersed with open mike comments and spirits were kept up by a continual supply of teas for the sitters. The police remained for the most part good-natured about the situation, and joined in one of the votes by putting their hands up in favour of finishing the action. It was pointed out that they only could vote if they joined the sit-down and some of them laughed.
After the final half-hour it was agreed that the point had been made, and that there would no doubt be further opportunities to get arrested before the war is called off (!:), so the whole group stood and we walked together towards the cenotaph, where three people were allowed to lay all the white flowers that protestors had brought. After another minute of silence for the victims in New York and the victims in Afghanistan we peacefully dispersed into the grey, wet London streets.
Despite the media attendance, I have just watched the Channel 4 news and there was nothing about it at all. Last week saw the biggest London demo for many many years and it received minimal TV coverage and just a few lines in most of the Sunday papers. A quarter of a million Italians marched last weekend and we hardly heard about it in British media.
I feel that to get the attention we deserve, perhaps the next big rally should be a peaceful march on Broadcasting House/BBC Television Centre and a blockade of their staff - then perhaps we might get some attention!!!
How do others feel about this sort of idea - any other suggestions?
As we approached Downing Street it became clear that the police had put barriers across the road penning us towards the pavement and so the sit-down occurred maybe two or three hundred yards short of Downing Street. The weather conditions remained atrocious, and yet around 60 people sat in the road while the rest of us stood around them giving support. Police were "inviting" people to carry on with the march, but there was absolute solidarity and we remained where we were. The police then indicated that they intended to open up the road enough for one line of traffic to pass and that anyone hindering this would be liable for arrest. However, despite a couple of attempts to pick people up and move them, everyone 'sat' their ground, and the police backed off. Votes were taken as to the further progress of the sit-down and it was agreed after an hour to continue for a further half hour. Formal speeches were interspersed with open mike comments and spirits were kept up by a continual supply of teas for the sitters. The police remained for the most part good-natured about the situation, and joined in one of the votes by putting their hands up in favour of finishing the action. It was pointed out that they only could vote if they joined the sit-down and some of them laughed.
After the final half-hour it was agreed that the point had been made, and that there would no doubt be further opportunities to get arrested before the war is called off (!:), so the whole group stood and we walked together towards the cenotaph, where three people were allowed to lay all the white flowers that protestors had brought. After another minute of silence for the victims in New York and the victims in Afghanistan we peacefully dispersed into the grey, wet London streets.
Despite the media attendance, I have just watched the Channel 4 news and there was nothing about it at all. Last week saw the biggest London demo for many many years and it received minimal TV coverage and just a few lines in most of the Sunday papers. A quarter of a million Italians marched last weekend and we hardly heard about it in British media.
I feel that to get the attention we deserve, perhaps the next big rally should be a peaceful march on Broadcasting House/BBC Television Centre and a blockade of their staff - then perhaps we might get some attention!!!
How do others feel about this sort of idea - any other suggestions?
rikki blue
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