Trafalgar Square was booked for something called 'The Peace Concert', part of the London Week of Peace, endorsed by Gordon Brown, Jacqui Smith, David Cameron and Ian Blair.

(It's a misleading name as it not about peace in the wider sense but concerned with community cohesion, promoting justice, equality and respect between people, particularly Londoners, from all backgrounds. It may also be about defusing the kind of grass-roots movements we've seen in some parts of London about civil rights and in particular about knife and gun crime and channeling them into something more easily controlled. If you're not in Manchester you can join their peace march on Saturday 20th.)

Because of this event, RATB's 'Free the Cuban 5' demonstration couldn't be held on the North Terrace in front of the National Gallery as they had planned and they had to set up in a rather less prominent location on the pavement to the east, a traditional site for demonstrations.

The case of the Cuban 5 has led to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and Amnesty International criticsing the US government, and to movements in over a hundred countires around the world calling for their release,

The demonstration in Traflagar Square by Rock around the Blockade was one of a number of events around the world to mark the 10th anniversary of their arrest, including in East Timor, Spain, Japan, Australia and the United States.

A further event takes place next month in London, when the Cuba Solidarity Campaign plans a Miami 5 Vigil outside the US Embassy on Tuesday 7 October 2008.

More pictures from last Saturday's demonstration on My London Diary shortly:
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2008/09/sep.htm