Skip to content or view screen version

Depressingly poor attendance at North London Anti-War march Dec 8th

shocked and depressed | 08.12.2001 12:49

No more than a hundred demonstrators - twenty of those selling left wing newspapers.

I've just returned from the start of the Stop The War Coalition's march and rally in North London.
I am very depressed! Despite a wide poster and leafleting campaign in the weeks leading up to today, there were no more than a hundred people gathered, and probably twenty of those were selling left wing newspapers.

Admittedly it was a bitterly cold morning, and it's coming up to Christmas and all that, but I'm really surprised and very down-heartened that there could have been 60,000 or more demonstrators in London just four weeks ago and yet so few bothered to turn up today.

If there had been a couple of hundred or more, I would have marched too, but with so few, I think it could actually do the anti-war movement more harm than good to publicly show such tiny support.

Perhaps the mainstream media has won the battle and people are forgetting the lies, the continually changing war aims, and the humanitarian crisis. I thought the tactic of having local marches this month was good, as they would be more likely covered by local papers where the national media ignores tens of thousands gathering in London, but if other marches are as badly attended as today's I hope another national one can be organised soon to keep the pressure up.

shocked and depressed

Comments

Display the following 8 comments

  1. Agreed! — Norf
  2. never knew! — zedhead
  3. this is the inevitable result of the — bill bore
  4. Courage — frax
  5. still happenin — protest and survive
  6. It's too cold man — Lemming
  7. dont trust the mainstream media to broadcast — atimm
  8. Over 200.000 at North London Anti war march — propaganda