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Kids against clusters

Niki | 17.08.2003 19:31 | DSEi 2003 | Anti-militarism | London | Oxford

On Sunday, 17th August, a group of around 75 folk gathered beneath balloons in Parliament Square, London.

Descriptions were read out of the havoc caused by cluster bombs when they explode in urban areas and of the horror of unexploded cluster bombs, as well as other unexploded ordnance. Children then acted out what has been happening on Iraqi and Afghan streets: they played happily and then dressed in red-dyed bandages. They grinned all through and even a slow drum beat couldn't make them look sombre but somehow that was very moving. A small girl read out a letter to Tony Blair and then a prayer for all the people who have been hurt. Venus from Indyradio recorded it but I couldn't find anyone taking pictures for Indymedia so if anyone can find any, can they add them please? We then marched up Whitehall with a police escort as usual and the children were allowed to present their letter to No. 10 while the rest of us waved banners and posters, danced to a really good samba band (no, sorry, I didn't get their name)and handed out bright red leaflets reading CLEAR UP CLUSTERS, produced by voices uk - visit  http://www.voicesuk.org and  http://www.landmineaction.org Later the balloons representing bombs were released into the sky. BBC has an article about it at  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3158339.stm

Niki