Madeleine Albright ambushed in a dark alley: we were everywhere!

just a quick exciting update from the scene of the madeleine albright action at the oxford union on 28 october 2003 from 7.15 pm onwards.

HR and i went inside the debating chamber to hear albright speak. from 8.30 onwards announcements were made every 5 minutes saying that she would be delayed as she was unable to get inside the union because of the protestors!!! seeing that the real action was happening outside and feeling very bored inside, we left the union to join the protestors.

the protestors - you know who you are! - had both entrances (main entrance on st michael's st and side entrance on cornmarket st. next to Lush) covered, as we were unsure which one she would use. at about 9.05, a police car shot south down cornmarket with cops running after it, stopped halfway, lots of people in suits got out and hustled her into the alley next to Lush, but we didnt actually *see* her because it all happened very fast. however, everyone knew something was up, so people ran towards the entrance of the alley.

there were already some protestors (maybe 7 or 8?) at the end of the alley near the union gate, but the rest were stopped at the beginning of the alley on cornmarket by a cop. i managed to slip through with my 'fake' union card (thank you RJ!).. having passed the cop, i realised (very late in life!) that i was walking inches behind the woman herself (she'd covered her face with a scarf).

i then had the privilege of bellowing at the 64th secretary of state of the united states of america: 'we're against your bloody war!' everyone else started shouting and screaming Sudan, Iraq, children, price worth paying, but being outnumbered by cops and agents and union bouncers, we couldn't physically prevent her from going in, which she did. but 40 minutes late to cries of shame, shame, shame :) anyone with half a conscience would not have been pleased..

the cops were very shaken because we had managed to make things bloody inconvenient, KH will tell you that the 1 cop trying to hold back about 15 people looked shit scared, and the one i had slipped past yelled 'don't ever do that to me again!' .. all signs of success!!!!

we were everywhere today. congratulations all :)