a short write-up and a couple of pics from the party this evening after a day of action

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the last part of the carnival of dirt protests was meant to be a 'reclaim the street' party outside the shell building on the south bank,

at the meet point at 6pm, it soon became clear there were just not the numbers for a successful street occupation. however, after waiting for stragglers, the group of around 100 set off along the embankment and over westminster bridge. 

although only a dozen or so police accompanied them, there were three more vans waiting at the shell centre, and as the procession approached, another four vans turned up. 

clearly outnumbered, the party moved into the 'jubilee gardens' opposite the shell centre, a coffin-shaped sound system sparked up, and the party began. there was dance, poetry, rapping, and music, and people networked and enjoyed the vibe. although several vans of police remained, after filming everyone, they backed off, leaving a small presence in attendance. 

for some people it had been a very long day, and it was a chance to chill out, enjoy the brief evening sunshine, and discuss what had worked well and what hadn't, and where the movement continues from here.

the positive things about the day were the way that so many groups had worked together on one main issue, the global reach of the campaign, and the worldwide solidarity it represented. in the city this morning, the corporations were clearly spooked - so much so that they rolled out loads of their own spooks to assess the protests and gather intelligence - more on that over the weekend.

the carnival of dirt website is a great resource with some good research on some of the commodity traders and other companies making vast profits out of the misery of almost voiceless peoples around the globe.

today began the process of bringing those peoples together and giving them a global voice.