Leeds M27 Protests Mark 1 Week of Illegal War & Target BBC

On Wednesday (26-03-03) morning, the LS-9 – nine Leeds peace protesters who last Thursday brought traffic to a standstill through a three-hour human roadblock at the Armley gyratory to protest the start of “war” – appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court for an initial hearing. Supported by around 20 friends and activists, they heard that police charges of wilfully endangering motorists lives were being dropped and the Crown was proceeding with ‘wilful obstruction of the highway’. They were granted unconditional bail to consider their pleas until April 10. A journalist and photographer from the Yorkshire Evening Post attended and tried to get the LS-9 to do a ‘team photo’, but they refused.

Last night (27-03-03), Leeds anti-war protesters staged another demonstration to mark the one week anniversary of the US-UK illegal invasion of Iraq. Gathering at 5pm in Dortmund Square, protesters had decided at Monday night’s Leeds Coalition Against the War (LCAW) meeting to march past the BBC North studios on Woodhouse Lane and stage a protest at the BBC’s 100% transmission of military and state propaganda. Between 300 and 500 people attended, well down on last Thursday nights demonstration which numbered over 2000.

As the march approached the BBC, several activists managed to slow down the procession and stage a sit-down in the road. This initially lasted around 5 minutes, until the self-appointed “leaders” of the demonstration told people to get up and move on, which nearly all of them did. This caused resentment among many who felt that a protest at the BBC needed to last a bit longer than 5 minutes. With DIY signs reading “We pay for the BBC – I want a Refund”, “Hey Harry (Gration – presenter), why don’t you interview Iraqi Troops Families?”, “Blairs Broadcasting Corporation”, “We pay, where’s our say?” an initial group of 6 people refused to go on and sat in the road, holding their banners directly at the BBC windows. The police quickly stepped in and asked the protesters to get up and join the rest of the march. By this time, the march had gone a further 200 yards up the road but people had begun dropping back and walking back towards the sit-down protest. The police and stewards had stopped the march going any further. The traffic by this time was building up. Then the “leaders” came back and implored the BBC-hate squad to get up but the point had clearly been lost on them – “we don’t have leaders”, said one; “we are quite prepared for the consequences, we know our rights”, said another. The protesters resented how pathetically cooperative the stewards were with the police, and how they were intent on causing as minimal disruption as possible. They also didn’t like the clear formation of hierarchy within the Leeds anti-war movement.

After more discussion, the protesters said they had made their point and rejoined the march. A lot of people were very confused by the route agreed by the stewards and the police. It simply took us out of the city centre, past the BBC and then back down the same road. Hardly radical. The march returned to outside the City Art Gallery for a brief rally. Afterwards, a few school kids stupidly tried to burn an American flag, and immediately the police stepped in.

It seems there is a logic-deficit in the anti-war movement at the moment. Instead of holding teach-ins, educating as many as possible; instead of producing factual leaflets about the war and its consequences; instead of taking direct action and stopping business-as-usual, the mainstream – an unlikely coalition between Labour grassroots and the SWP – are obsessed with city-centre demonstrations with 2 chants “1-2-3-4, we don’t want this bloody war…Bush-Blair-CIA” ad infinitum, and handing out ‘membership forms’ to join the LCAW. There is yet another demonstration of this kind this coming Saturday. Unless it gets serious and informs people about what is really happening in Iraq, then it will be another self-indulgent parade of anger. There is saying “stop grumbling, organise!”. Well, how about “stop shouting, educate!”.