Lancaster schoolchildren storm town
Jack Straw | 20.03.2003 22:43
School children storm Lancaster in anti-war protests. Peace camp set up in centre of town. Town Hall occupied. Ring road shut down.
School children storm Lancaster in anti-war protests
Peace camp set up in centre of town. Town Hall occupied. Ring road shut down.
At 5am, Thursday morning, anti war activists set up a yurt in Market Square, at the heart of Lancaster town centre. Despite intial resistance, construction workers surrendered the centre to the protestors, who started a long and noisy day.
Around 11am children from several schools walked out of their classes and began to assemble in Market Square, chanting slogans all the way. A carnival atmosphere developed as music started up and the sense of empowerment grew.
Media began arriving to film and interview the hundred odd people; and so did the police and headmasters threatening suspension and explusion if they children did not go back to school. However, the headmasters were told in clear terms that they were not welcome and eventually left fuming but powerless.
Graffiti appeared everywhere, much to the confusion of a police unit totally out of its depth. They were unable to comprehend that the teenagers and younger children had left their schools of their own accord and had made their own moral decisions. Police appeals for them to return to school fell on deaf ears.
Around midday the march started, winding around Lancaster, going where it wanted. Nowhere escaped the sound of anti-war, pro-peace chants clearly informing everyone what little regard Blair and Bush were held in.
Whole chunks of the city were shut down as the combined protestors took them at whim, determined to make their feelings known. At one stage the Town Hall was occupied with a sit down, before the protestors decided to move on to other venues. In many cases it was the voices of the school children and teenagers leading the way, taking over megaphones, banners and leafletting from the broad range of adults who had also assembled in increasing numbers throughout the day.
The marching continued on and off for over seven hours, before demonstrators finally returned to Market Square for the remainder of the anti-war vigil. Today followed on from a demonstration in Morecombe on Wednesday, when over 30 children left school to hold a demonstration at the War Monuement. More actions are planned over the next few days.
Peace camp set up in centre of town. Town Hall occupied. Ring road shut down.
At 5am, Thursday morning, anti war activists set up a yurt in Market Square, at the heart of Lancaster town centre. Despite intial resistance, construction workers surrendered the centre to the protestors, who started a long and noisy day.
Around 11am children from several schools walked out of their classes and began to assemble in Market Square, chanting slogans all the way. A carnival atmosphere developed as music started up and the sense of empowerment grew.
Media began arriving to film and interview the hundred odd people; and so did the police and headmasters threatening suspension and explusion if they children did not go back to school. However, the headmasters were told in clear terms that they were not welcome and eventually left fuming but powerless.
Graffiti appeared everywhere, much to the confusion of a police unit totally out of its depth. They were unable to comprehend that the teenagers and younger children had left their schools of their own accord and had made their own moral decisions. Police appeals for them to return to school fell on deaf ears.
Around midday the march started, winding around Lancaster, going where it wanted. Nowhere escaped the sound of anti-war, pro-peace chants clearly informing everyone what little regard Blair and Bush were held in.
Whole chunks of the city were shut down as the combined protestors took them at whim, determined to make their feelings known. At one stage the Town Hall was occupied with a sit down, before the protestors decided to move on to other venues. In many cases it was the voices of the school children and teenagers leading the way, taking over megaphones, banners and leafletting from the broad range of adults who had also assembled in increasing numbers throughout the day.
The marching continued on and off for over seven hours, before demonstrators finally returned to Market Square for the remainder of the anti-war vigil. Today followed on from a demonstration in Morecombe on Wednesday, when over 30 children left school to hold a demonstration at the War Monuement. More actions are planned over the next few days.
Jack Straw
