15 June 2008
Today's demonstration was planned to coincide with Bush coming to 10 Downing Street to have dinner with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Unfortunately, we were banned from having the demonstration outside 10 Downing street itself, and had to have it initially in Parliament Square (opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben). Even at 5:00pm on the dot, the square was packed with people from all walks of life, from the Catholic monk to the anarchists and socialists, university students, the hijab-clad Muslims to the ordinary Englishman/woman - As well as a lot of Somalis, protesting against US bombs dropped on Somalia and its complicity with Ethiopia in invading their country (It's reassuring thats it's not just me getting angry in front of my computer when surfing the news websites) - It seems that the US will extend its war on terror wherever its interests are threatened or they a see an opportunity to extend them further
Speeches from old stalwarts like Tony Benn (a supremely principled left-wing former MP and government minister) and George Galloway, as well as the organisers of the event were all inspiring. Then came Brian Haw - This guy has been maintaining a 24-hr vigil in Parliament Square protesting against the war on terror in all its locations over the world, at least until the UK police came and took away all his placards on some ridiculous pretext (Parliament actually passed some law to this effect - obviously their priorities are straight) - A devout Christian (not like bastards like Bush and Blair) whose hat is covered with many badges, including one which reads "keep my Muslim neighbour SAFE".
The organisers then (after the PA system broke down!) said that we are to peacefully march towards the police cordon placed at Parliament Street (which has Downing Street to its left after 200-300 yards) and try to make our way through - Of course there were over a hundred policeman - ordinary policeman, riot police, police on horseback as well as more than 10 large police vans blocking our way. All this while the butcher of humanity is having tea and cakes not far away. What is particularly galling is that the spineless UK parliament just passed a law not 2 days ago deciding that people under suspicion of "terrorism" can be held for up to 42 days without evidence before they can be released, and here we cannot get through to legitimately protest against a warmonger.
Some of the more rowdy youth were shouting and making lots of noise out front right in front of the police cordon, trying to pressure them to let us through - some chucked placards at them and even managed to steal some of the metal barriers and push them through the crowd - Unfortunately the police were brandishing their nightsticks and metal batons (these batons can make dents in walls with but a gentle tap - I've seen them do that with my own eyes - imagine what it can do to your head) - it got a bit tense at certain times, pushing and pulling between the police and the demonstrators - we started to sit on the ground so as not to give them the excuse not to rush us, especially after they got the riot police to stand at the front of the cordon.
Various chants included
- Whose streets? OUR streets!
- Do your job! Arrest George Bush!
- Shame on you!
-F**k the police!
Then, riot police approached from George Street to our left side from a fair distance - They looked fairly intimidating, walking all dressed in black like SS stormtroopers - Whether it was because Dubya Bush was leaving from behind them or to intimidate us, I don't know. Regardless, we approached them head on and stood in their faces, not to be threatened or scared by them.
It was at that point that the tension broke through - when someone was arrested, we crowded round them, at which point the police rushed us and started roughly pushing people out of the way, waving their nightsticks about like idiots, so we all ran for it so as not to get caught in it - only to come straight back and stand in their faces to show them we were not afraid of them (this happened quite a few times) - I've never had to run from the police before, but there's a first time for everything
It seems we got on the news: (reported on the 10pm news on BBC )
From the Guardian - apparently 1,200 police were needed to police our ickle demonstration! all this while those hands dripping with the blood of children were eating sandwiches in 10 Downing Street
A few points
- While the police had cameramen filming the demonstrators, innumerable demonstrators were filming and photographing the policemen at all times, especially when they were arresting people. It seems this technology has put more power back in the hands of the people (Like when those criminal settlers were recently caught on video beating up innocent Palestinians)
- While pressurizing the police at marches like this may be all well and good, but I wonder if writing a letter to your MP may be much more effective - I do wonder if they were too rowdy today as well
- It makes you admire all the more demonstrators in, say, Egypt who have to face a thuggish and corrupt police without a free press and independent judiciary to back them up like in the UK
Song of the day: Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the name of
"F**k you, I won't do what you tell me!"
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