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DSEi delegates guilty and ashamed

Cor Cochion, Caerdydd | 10.09.2003 00:45 | DSEi 2003 | Anti-militarism | London

Delegates leaving DSEi today at around 5pm were confronted by protesters
at Custom House DLR.

A small group of people challenged delegates as they headed back to their
plush hotels for the evening. Most avoided contact as much as possible. Several
denied involvement with DSEi, in one case even when the evidence was blatant - a
visible DSEi-pass!

Finding only two traders willing to engage in discussion, and with increasing
numbers of delegates flooding on to the platform, we switched tactics and began
singing. This seemed to have more of an impact; although railway staff were
not unsympathetic, the police almost immediately asked us to stop.

Apparently, we'd suddenly become 'an obstruction'. Four women singing on a
railway platform was an obstruction, but the dozen or so police gathered nearby
were presumably not!

Instead, we joined the delegates on a train, where we had a captive audience
for 3 or 4 stops. "Oh, whoops, we've missed our stop; we'll just have to go
back again..." :) and again, and again...

Favourite quote:

Singer: 'We can't be causing that much of a problem - four ordinary women...'
Cop: 'Ah, yes, but you're not "ordinary women", you're women with convictions!'

Cor Cochion, Caerdydd