Another step forward

hopeful | 18.11.2001 23:58

Another anti war demo and approximately double the figures from the previous big one, amounting to 100,000 people from a vast array of different backgrounds, religions, political beliefs and races all shouting in one voice ‘Yes to peace’ and ‘No to the war’.

Many issues were discussed as people walked down the road to Trafalger square and by the speakers on arrival with Tony Benn suggesting the “War was about oil”, referring to the vast oil reserves lying in the Caspian region, which if a stable government was introduced to Afghanistan would allow pipelines to be laid and oil to be pumped out into Western hands maintaining the wheels of industry.

Further concerns were expressed by journalist John Pilger who feared the war could spread to Algeria, Somalia and Iraq, bringing an end to the world as we know it and further extending the New World Order.

Other issues surrounded the lack of any evidence as to who committed the atrocity on the innocent people in the World trade Centre, the US involvement in Palestine, the US involvement in Colombia, in fact the entire US foreign policy, which the US is still not dealing with.

All I spoke to felt the US lead ‘War on terrorism’ would lead to an increase in terrorist activities, I for one don’t want to see if that bears fruit. On home soil the basic human rights act is to be altered with a bit of internment thrown in for good measure for our own safety.

The pressure I feel must be increased and another protest organised ASAP. These are just a few issues as I’m not as well read as I wish I was on the subjects involved but I do know the Politicians are liars, and since I have seen the TV news the Corporate media is just disgusting. Two minutes on the BBC and ITV with no issues discussed and numbers of 50,000 supposedly sourced from the organisers. We must overcome.

HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

hopeful

Comments

Hide the following 14 comments

Stopping the war

19.11.2001 00:13

Hey man, liked your piece on the rally. Everyone was in fine form today, especially the guys distributing the chicken nuggets.
The 4.10 Ishtar was beautiful. My friends and I were moved
ilya

Ilya Gridneff
mail e-mail: ilyaanthony@hotmail.com

Peace

19.11.2001 00:44

Thanks to the guys dishing out fresh dates to anti-war weary marchers. Thanks to the cross-section of humanity who cared enough to come, thanks to the eloquent speakers who told the truth and thanks to Almighty God.

Thanx

dates

19.11.2001 02:14

Them dates were aplenty and a sweet delight

dwight heet

Humanity 1: God 0

19.11.2001 10:12

good shout out to humanity Peace - but fuck God - that/those bastards have more blood on their (etheral) hands than even Uncle Sam
x

Lucy P

How many?

19.11.2001 11:53

It was a great day out!! cant wait for the next one!
Thanx to the groups who where distributing foods (mostly muslim), though i saw a white girl with some cookies (hash?), haha.
Ch 4 said 20000, which is an out right lie as last time they said 20 and there was much much more than last time.
BBC news online couldnt even find a paragraph about it.
More demos please!!

n18 anti-war march

19.11.2001 13:12

well i was there yesterday and i was at the last one. i got a load of friends to come but never found them - the phone calls were a bit like:
"look for Student CND when you arrive"
"near the RMT banner,"
"well there's some group from Manchester,"
"look for Bath Stop the War"
"there's a huge group of Birmingham Muslims near"...

this was it, trying to say where you were in the march was pointless because it was such a sea of people, from across the country and all walks of life.
i don't know about the numbers, seemed similar to the last to me, i'd guess 40-50,000.
i never really heard the speakers, we were near the back (i think) and i ended up giving out leaflets but it's good to see diverse speakers showing the march's diversity and some MPs doing their job and representing the people!

i would say to the comment above, no I'm not a christian and we all know the effect religion has so often had in causing violence - but we need to welcome everyone into the coalition because it legitimises the cause.
so when a particular church or mosque comes with the name on their banner - give them a cheer as they're making the right move!

ben

Ben
mail e-mail: benfolley@yahoo.com

the demo was great but..........

19.11.2001 13:41

I been on demos for the last 8 years and that was one of biggest, it felt like people I mean all the people. people mums ,dads, granny, kids. you know not just the useal faces. but they was one group who I thought was missing, that of black people. I really don't have an anser. but war will affect people from Africa after all they may well be on the US hit list next. and if the war or wars continue people who are black will be forced into armed forces deproposionity.

please prove me wrong

Black, White and Asian unite

rich

I'M BACK

19.11.2001 14:19

HEY I'M BACK
YEAH YOU'RE RIGHT, THERE WEREN'T MANY AFRICAN/CARIBBEAN PEOPLE AROUND - OR AT LEAST WHERE I WAS MARCHING I SHOULD STATE.
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ONE WOMAN WHO LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I DROPPED THE STICK I WAS DRUMMING WITH I CAN'T THINK OF AN OBVIOUS REASON WHY THEY WEREN'T THERE...

BUT BEING NEW TO DEMONSTRATING I MIGHT ASK HAS THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY BEEN ACTIVE OVER THE LAST DECADE IE PRIOR TO THIS SPECIFIC CAMPAIGN.
IF NOT MAYBE WE SHOULD TALK TO THEM (NOW THEY ARE VERY MUCH ON BOARD) IN OUR LOCAL MEETINGS AND ASK IF AND WHY THEY PREVIOUSLY FELT UNABLE/UNWILLING TO JOIN...

NOT SURE HOW I'M COMING ACROSS BUT WE MUST HAVE EVERYONE GETTING INVOLVED THATS FOR SURE. WE MUST BE AN INCLUSIVE AND UNITED MOVEMENT

BEN

Complaint addresses

19.11.2001 14:25

Please can someone put up the relevant addresses
(email and snailmail)of the main TV networks so that we can all bombard them with criticism of their scandalous coverage of our march.
The last march in October wasn't even covered by the 'left
of centre' Guardian, astonishingly claiming that it 'wasn't their policy to report marches', however their were so many
complaints that they were forced to apologise, and promise
to report the next demo, todays Guardian has the march on
the front page!
On the subject of the gender of speakers, I heard at
least two women, a 20 year old woman from the Scottish
Stop the War Coalition, and Lindsey German of the SWP.

Luke Drifter

Muslims in the movement

19.11.2001 14:59

It does seem that Muslims have joined this particular movement in such great numbers simply because it is Muslims who are being bombed. I don't want to appear Islamaphobic or unwelcoming of Muslim participation. But it seems they weren't interested in the equally injust assault on Yugoslavia by NATO. So I wonder whether most Muslims are only ever politicised when it comes to backing people who share their religion.

St Elsewhere

phone numbers/emails for complaints re media

19.11.2001 15:11

in response to comment above. haven't got addresses but hope this is useful.
BBC TV Centre Switchboard 0208 743 8000
BBC Radio Newsroom 0208 624 9910 (editor)
0208 624 9900
C4 Home Newsroom 0207 624 9830
BBC SouthEast Newsroom 020 8228 8888
Carlton London Tonight 0207 827 7700
Channel 5 News 0207 430 4100
PA News Phone 0207 963 7000/7146
PA News Fax 0207 963 7192
ITN Switchboard 0207 833 3000
IRN Newsdesk 0207 430 4814

irn@itn.co.uk
Guardian news desk editor:

harriet.sherwood@guardian.co.uk
Guardian home news desk:

home@guardian.co.uk
Guardian/Observer switchboard (ask for newsdesk) 0207 278 2332
apologies if this info appears elsewhere on the site and cheers to MWAW.
15,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was cold, but not THAT cold!! brain still functioned....

manc-heather
mail e-mail: roserat@btinternet.com

come on now

19.11.2001 15:15

You could level the same accusation at everyone.. how many Europeans paid as much attention to the war in central Africa as to that in the Balkans?

Actually where I live, Muslims played a central role in the local coalition against the Kosovo war as well as now. But regardless; when anyone gets involved in anti-war campaigning, "where have you been?" ain't the best welcome!

internationalist

The numbers game...

19.11.2001 19:21

My estimate of the numbers... 40-60K, Based on my experience of large dance events around the UK. The 15k suggested by the mainstream meadia is a joke. This is what we are up against. It is as many of the speakers said, this regime will take a some shifting.
I had such a hard time persuading my friends to go on the march. Next time I'm going to demand it.
Thanks to everyone who did go. If each of you just got one extra person to go next time...............

paul
mail e-mail: paul@pinny.eurobell.co.uk

Lack of participation from ethnic minorities

21.11.2001 11:29

I read with interest some of the comments posted earlier concerning the lack of black faces on the march. I personally feel that although most black people feel strongly about what occurring in Afghanistan right now, protests like the mayday one earlier all too often get a reputation for being heavily policed and ending up violent at the end, so most black people are all too mindful of how the police like to carry on in given situations choose to stay away.
On top of that, politics (be it mainstream or otherwise) in the U.K. has a tendency to sideline/alienate members of so-called "ethnic minorities" (referring only to us when it's convenient to - i.e. when there's a cheap vote out to be blagged). When you see a solitary black/Asian m.p. toeing the party line on issues their constituents don't agree for fear of being deselected, it's none too surprising that people like myself are conspicuously absent at rallies like the one that happened on November 18th.

Lawrence
mail e-mail: pitonheights77@hotmail.com
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/londonpics