On Saturday 15 July 2006, the National Guantanamo Coalition
(
http://www.guantanamo.org.uk/) held a demonstration in London requesting
the closure of the prison in Guantanamo Bay. See also
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2006/07/345171.html
(
http://www.guantanamo.org.uk/) held a demonstration in London requesting the closure of the prison in Guantanamo Bay. See also
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2006/07/345171.html
US Embassy, London, 15 July 2006
After a short march from Marble Arch to the American Embassy in Grosvenor
Square, the small crowd was addressed by numerous speakers including
Victoria Brittain, co-author with Moazzam Begg of "Enemy Combatant",
Yvonne Ridley, Ghada Razuk of the Stop the War Coalition, Azzam Tamimi
and others. In total, speeches outside the embassy lasted for over an
hour and a half.
Omar Deghayes from Brighton is one of the British residents known
to be imprisoned in Guantanamo. His sister, Amani, speaking with a
perfect Home counties accent and wearing a T shirt with the web address
http://www.save-omar.org.uk/ , told how when she was 8 years old, their
mother had fled with five children from Libya to Britain.
Shortly after her speech it was announced that she and Jackie were going
to take a petition to the embassy and a policewoman stepped forward to
open the fence between the crowd and the embassy. This petition was for
an independent inquiry into the deaths of prisoners at Guantanamo and
for its closure.
George Galloway spoke, amongst other things, of the case of Babar Ahmad.
He said that he had become a friend of Ahmad's family and that he totally
believed in his innocence. The final speaker was barrister Hugo Charlton
from CAMPACC.
The organisers then announced that they would be proceeding to the Home
Office via Marble Arch. Here a petition was to be handed in demanding
that Britain ensures the safe return to Britain of the British residents
still in Guantanamo. I didn't see how many (if any) dispersed from
Grosvenor Square, but I counted about 215 people still with the march.
as it continued towards Marble Arch.
Square, the small crowd was addressed by numerous speakers including
Victoria Brittain, co-author with Moazzam Begg of "Enemy Combatant",
Yvonne Ridley, Ghada Razuk of the Stop the War Coalition, Azzam Tamimi
and others. In total, speeches outside the embassy lasted for over an
hour and a half.
Omar Deghayes from Brighton is one of the British residents known
to be imprisoned in Guantanamo. His sister, Amani, speaking with a
perfect Home counties accent and wearing a T shirt with the web address
http://www.save-omar.org.uk/ , told how when she was 8 years old, their mother had fled with five children from Libya to Britain.
Shortly after her speech it was announced that she and Jackie were going
to take a petition to the embassy and a policewoman stepped forward to
open the fence between the crowd and the embassy. This petition was for
an independent inquiry into the deaths of prisoners at Guantanamo and
for its closure.
George Galloway spoke, amongst other things, of the case of Babar Ahmad.
He said that he had become a friend of Ahmad's family and that he totally
believed in his innocence. The final speaker was barrister Hugo Charlton
from CAMPACC.
The organisers then announced that they would be proceeding to the Home
Office via Marble Arch. Here a petition was to be handed in demanding
that Britain ensures the safe return to Britain of the British residents
still in Guantanamo. I didn't see how many (if any) dispersed from
Grosvenor Square, but I counted about 215 people still with the march.
as it continued towards Marble Arch.
