ALRIGHT COPPER! Don't get your baton in a twist. There really isn't a need to post bollocks onto Indymedia. The Wickham march always has gathered around 100 people. Panic over.

why is it on indymedia?

And there is little point pretending otherwise.

We can do without self delusion .....

The demo was never expected to be large. The wickham campaign is a small one run by a small group who don't really do any demos except outside the lab itself on random occasions. What's delusional here is posting shite onto Indymedia and expecting people to accept what you say as valid.

If you really have a problem with the numbers on demos then stop whining on here and go rally some people to join the next one or.. shock horror.. go organise a demo yourself! If you're not too busy updating SHACwatch...........

SHAC and those who run it will have to pay one day for what they have done to the movement.

We will not forget

My goodness the police and there freinds the vivisectors have been busy, nearly all the comments I have just read have been made by them,
People are entitled to moan that only 100 protesters turned up!
looks like they have been busy posting twisted shit on the solidarity for Sean posting as well!

The NEWS is the decline of support for a campaign that used to attract 200 to 300 to demos.

The other and more unfortunate news is the 'head in the sand' defence of those bereft of ideas to take the campaign forward and their preference to condem those who question their methods as coppers and narks....

The fact is that the current police tactic of intensive investigation and prosecution of AR camapigners has seriouly impacted the overt camapigns and some of the covert groups - the question is what are we going to do about it?

Of course people have every right to comment on, and complain, that only 100 came on the demo. Fact is though, numbers have always been this way for Wickham - commenting that numbers are in steep decline is basically not true. Pointing this out is not 'burying your head in the sand'. In the case of the last shac national - yes it was low on numbers compared to normal. Either way, if you have a problem with numbers, go sort it out - there are no fixed people running everything - this movement is what EVERYONE puts into it, don't wait for anyone else to do it!

What is sad here is the fact that Indy has become a shit stirring exercise for shacwatch and coppers who want to TRY and create rifts within the AR movement and other people can't see how obvious it is!

A few years ago planning for a national included printing off tens of thousands of leaflets and posters, subsidising transport and a massive attempt to get people from a to b. The phones would ring into the night as more people booked places on coaches,or coaches remained half full etc. No-one is doing this at present but then this did include an immense amount of work, caused some people to wear themselves ragged and others to sit back and allow themselves to be organised (which is never healthy). The numbers were made up of good AR folk who have made a bit effort to get there under their own steam and of course a lot of other stuff was going on. could not make it due to another commitment. It is probably better to have a small amount of dedicated activists than a large number of people who only pop along to nationals if someone else raises most of the money for transport and practically puts them on the coach. Those who feel that numbers are really important (and I agree but I would rather put my energies elsewhere) should offer their services to raise the tens of thousands of pounds for coaches, petrol, printing and phone calls and of course there could be legal implications for such an organisational role. Getting there ourselves, making our own banners, having our own ideas but all supporting one another is might be the way forward. Soldarity demos in home towns eliminating transport and police problems is another way of making an impact.

Lynn

In the back of the police van. It wasn't even like the demo was worth being nicked for.