"Looks like we picked a bad day to begin our War On Truancy!" - Blair Traffic Control
(Nth send attempt) -- Evening Standard - Friday, 21st March 2003 (Five barium^h^h^h^h^h^h editions daily.) http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/ Met chief accuses protest children of playing truant and wasting time By Huria Choudhari and Joe Murphy METROPOLITAN Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens today accused children who attended an anti-war demonstration of wasting police time and playing truant from school. Police estimated that 3,000 students and children took to the streets between the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street to voice their opposition to the war yesterday. Others disrupted city centre traffic across the country. In Liverpool, police removed protesters who blocked the Mersey tunnel. The West Coast rail mainline was also blocked by protesters, 50 people occupied an army recruitment centre in Cambridge, and 300 people jammed roads in Cardiff. The Stop The War Coalition said thousands of rallies, many led by trade unions, closed workplaces including local government offices, post office sorting-offices and colleges. Sir John said he was "disappointed" by yesterday's protest in London. "The actions took valuable resources away from other areas at a time when vulnerable communities may feel threatened and fearful. "We are disappointed that the protests included many young people playing truant. We are concerned that this not only interferes with their schooling, but puts them in very vulnerable situations without the support of adult carers." He added: "The police service is committed to facilitating peaceful and democratic protests. However, ad hoc protests such as those seen in Parliament Square draw police away from their very important duties at this time." Among the scenes that angered Sir John were graffiti attacks around Parliament Square. A statue of Victorian Prime Minister Lord Palmerston was scrawled with: "Another warmonger". Stickers were also plastered over the statues of Sir Winston Churchill and an early south African leader General Jan Smuts. Today traffic in the centre of London was hit by a Pedal For Peace protest. Dozens of cyclists shouted anti-war slogans as they cycled through Whitehall, passing Downing Street and Parliament Square. In Sheffield police warned motorists to expect major delays due to a "bikes not bombs" protest. Greece was today crippled by an anti-war general strike and 8,000 marched in Tokyo after Japan's decision to supply non-military support to the war. About 5,000 Australians demonstrated in Melbourne and in San Francisco 1,025 protesters were arrested. Meanwhile, preparations continue for tomorrow's anti-war protest in London when a number of Labour MPs will address a rally in Hyde Park.
