After an epically long overnight Coach journey, (which incidentally didn't get surveillance from Cops Inc. at its drop off point), we arrived in Edinburgh for what I suspect may prove to be one of the biggest public demonstrations in the city's history.
We all assembled in the Meadows Park, which turned out to be a tribute to spectacle culture if ever there was one, with not just one giant sound stage, but two, replete with video screens, should you wish to stand in the middle of a demo watching (very very) widescreen TV and listening to inane witticisms from local radio DJs and comperes.
Thankfully, later on, they did actually have some interesting speakers on stage, to talk about the politics of world poverty - nothing too challenging though it has to be said.
The Revolution was NOT happening on these stages, Brothers and Sisters!!
There were also Hydralic crane platforms for TV cameras scattered about the site, plus a row of OB trucks and a press viewing platform along one edge of the park.
Oh yes, and we were also treated to the site of TWO Copper Choppers constantly hovering above us (for a refreshing change), along with the usual F.I.T. looking men and women in their nice uniforms, tracking our every move for their posterity.
Aside from this, one of the other lasting impressions that will forever be burned into my memory is that it was one of the biggest colour coordinated demos ever, with hundreds of thousands of people turning up in white, making the whole thing appear to be more like a giant Martial Arts convention!
We loitered in the Park for a long period after the formal departure
time, this being because so many people had turned up (no official
figures on this yet, but I'm geussing it was very close to the half a
million mark), that it took ages to actually coordinate their movements around Edinburgh's streets.
The scale of this enormous assembly of like minded human beings was emphasised whenever we went up and down the hills in Edinburgh, as you could see the this vast white-clothed throng of humanity stretching far off into the distance - a site the scale of which I haven't seen since February 15th 2003 in London.
There were also many different performers - I suspect I only saw a tiny number of them - providing all gathered with uplifting music to rock the crowds, and humourous and thought provoking street theatre, as well as giant puppets, like the big red Dragon and
multi coloured Serpent I saw, neither of which seemed to be the least bit interested in eating anyone!
There was of course the officially sanctioned bands that appeared on the stages, all of whom were nice enough, some Salsa and some Soukous being amongst them, although they did get drowned out by the loud Samba beats of Rythmns of Resistance at one point, when they decided to gatecrash the party a bit nearer the main stage!
It can be argued as to how effective any of this huge act of faith will
be (only time will tell), but, what it without any doubt proves is that
despite whatever nonsense the mainstream media has put out about people suffering from demo fatigue in a post Iraq War (Version 2.0) world, when suitably inspired and motivated, huge numbers of people will hit the streets if they think there's a good enough reason for it, young and old alike.
As for those strange, cloistered people of the G8, whom seem to think they have so much power, well, they'd better listen up, otherwise the next time around they could have several hundred thousand pissed off people ramraiding their fences wanting their blood!
You see, people of the G8, change is ALWAYS inevitable - it's just a case of when, not if it happens, and that's what you have to learn one way or another.
This was just the peaceful preamble to that process.
**Pictures to follow later in the week**
SEE ALSO:
http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1820/index.php
Thankfully, later on, they did actually have some interesting speakers on stage, to talk about the politics of world poverty - nothing too challenging though it has to be said.
The Revolution was NOT happening on these stages, Brothers and Sisters!!
There were also Hydralic crane platforms for TV cameras scattered about the site, plus a row of OB trucks and a press viewing platform along one edge of the park.
Oh yes, and we were also treated to the site of TWO Copper Choppers constantly hovering above us (for a refreshing change), along with the usual F.I.T. looking men and women in their nice uniforms, tracking our every move for their posterity.
Aside from this, one of the other lasting impressions that will forever be burned into my memory is that it was one of the biggest colour coordinated demos ever, with hundreds of thousands of people turning up in white, making the whole thing appear to be more like a giant Martial Arts convention!
We loitered in the Park for a long period after the formal departure
time, this being because so many people had turned up (no official
figures on this yet, but I'm geussing it was very close to the half a
million mark), that it took ages to actually coordinate their movements around Edinburgh's streets.
The scale of this enormous assembly of like minded human beings was emphasised whenever we went up and down the hills in Edinburgh, as you could see the this vast white-clothed throng of humanity stretching far off into the distance - a site the scale of which I haven't seen since February 15th 2003 in London.
There were also many different performers - I suspect I only saw a tiny number of them - providing all gathered with uplifting music to rock the crowds, and humourous and thought provoking street theatre, as well as giant puppets, like the big red Dragon and
multi coloured Serpent I saw, neither of which seemed to be the least bit interested in eating anyone!
There was of course the officially sanctioned bands that appeared on the stages, all of whom were nice enough, some Salsa and some Soukous being amongst them, although they did get drowned out by the loud Samba beats of Rythmns of Resistance at one point, when they decided to gatecrash the party a bit nearer the main stage!
It can be argued as to how effective any of this huge act of faith will
be (only time will tell), but, what it without any doubt proves is that
despite whatever nonsense the mainstream media has put out about people suffering from demo fatigue in a post Iraq War (Version 2.0) world, when suitably inspired and motivated, huge numbers of people will hit the streets if they think there's a good enough reason for it, young and old alike.
As for those strange, cloistered people of the G8, whom seem to think they have so much power, well, they'd better listen up, otherwise the next time around they could have several hundred thousand pissed off people ramraiding their fences wanting their blood!
You see, people of the G8, change is ALWAYS inevitable - it's just a case of when, not if it happens, and that's what you have to learn one way or another.
This was just the peaceful preamble to that process.
**Pictures to follow later in the week**
SEE ALSO:
http://scotland.indymedia.org/newswire/display/1820/index.php