No hostility from the public for being unpatriotic against any British empire. Even when Oxford Street, the main shopping street, was blocked peacefully by young protesters towards the end of the day.
Many young people following the school students protests earlier in the week. Many muslim girls dressed islamic style. Constant succession of lost children announcements to be found behind the platform at the rally. Somewhat fewer families making their first collective political and moral gesture of their lives together. Somewhat fewer individual placards (see below)
Main placards picked up apparently at random and happily carried by demonstrators without sectarianism. Very few massed contingents of people behind individual banners. No competition between different organisations.
Multiple placards held by individuals:-
CND: No War on Iraq + Picasso dove drawing
MAB (Muslim Association of Britain) Dont Attack Iraq, and on the other side Free Palestine. Probably the most widespread placard perhaps because of better sources of funding from self employed, professionals and business people within the muslim community in Britain. It did not have arabic or the word 'muslim' on it, and it was used throughout the march. It made the link with Palestine.
Stop the War Coalition: Stop the War, Blair Must Go.
SWP: Resist, Revolt. Stop this bloody war. Fight US UK imperialism
Dozen placards: (sometimes with URL's) Workers Party of Iran and Iraq www.wpiran.org: Stop the war
Individual banners:-
Islamic Human Rights Organisation www.ihro.org :What do they have in common? had thousands of innocent muslims killed (plus pictures)
Federation of Islamic Students www.fosis.org : Give the Iraqis a chance, Drop the sanctions, not bombs
Individual and collective
Hands up for peace - planted hands each with own message in the grass in a sort of improvised enclosure in Hyde Park with URL www.messengers.org.uk
University College London: Vive la resistance
Individual
Some like secular prayers expressing a wish, or a relationship to a wider reality at this moment in time
some works of art like a great white flag with words in pastel to form the edge of a dove
An A5 sheet with a statement in capitals, held up by two sixteen year olds who looked as if they were in their first love affair, shy and confident, a declaration of their relationship to the world.
Placards
Blair is taking the peace
No smoking gun, no mandate, no excuse
Winner takes oil
Asses of evil (plus picture)
Clare Short donate your salary to Oxfam
Never forget this war is illegal
No illegal imperialist wars
Stop bombing, stop lying
US fundamentalist (plus picture)
Psychologists say no to war
Now liberate Palestine
Shame
Bush is on another planet
Mr Bush you are not in charge of the world
Golbal capitalists against global imperialism
Mexicans do not support the war
I'm disgusted
It's the UN stupid!
Stop the war, by Feayn age 5
Proud of my country, ashamed of my government
Support British troops, get them out of Bush's hands
Globalise resistance
Under the spreading oil tree, Bush shamed you, Blair shamed me
How many lives per gallon?
Just because its started doesnt make it right
Blair kills kids
Support our troops, bring them home
Brave troops, bad politics
"One country wants to bully the world. We must not allow that" Mandela 17th Sept 2002
USA: Unelected Serial Aggressor
Why now? Why Iraq?
Smart bombs dont justify dumb leaders
Smart bombs, dumb politics
No hegemonism, no neo-colonialism
Tony Blair is a war criminal.
We still need to change the world - under large benign picture of Karl Marx
People stopped at times to read the posters and placards. Many were held up to greet the marchers on the side.
So together with the whistles (1 pound each, made in China) and the horns, this was an opportunity for a massive groups communication of individuality, diversity and solidarity against the war in Iraq.
Mood still relaxed but more determined than Feb 15
Chris Burford London
