Cease Trident, Troops out of Iraq: On Saturday twenty fourth February 2007 I photographed the march and rally organised by Cease The Warfare, The Marketing campaign For Nuclear Disarmament and The British Muslim Initiative to name for British troops to be introduced again from Iraq and for an finish to the deployment of Trident nuclear missiles and their proposed costly alternative.
The marchers met in Hyde Park round Audio system’ Nook and marched to a rally in Trafalgar Sq..
I wrote a barely lengthy textual content to go together with the photographs which I’ll repeat in a extra regular kind beneath with regular capitalisation. It consists of an evidence of how I arrived at an tough estimate for the numbers collaborating for this and different protests – typically very considerably better than that then given by the police to the press and often moderately lower than that of the organisers.
Cease Trident, Troops out of Iraq – Cease the Warfare/CND/BMI Demo
I’ve for a few years been against the so-called unbiased British nuclear weapons. Even on the peak of the Chilly Warfare they had been by no means credible as an unbiased deterrent. If they’ve ever had any justification it was that they made the USA really feel much less responsible, though American guilt at its enormous nuclear arsenal and at being the one nation ever to have used nuclear weapons has at all times been an extremely stunted development.
I used to be additionally firmly towards the invasion of Iraq. It was at all times clear to those that didn’t need to be deluded that the so-called ‘intelligence’ on weapons of mass destruction was laughable.
Blair was both a liar or a idiot as he misled a minority of the British individuals and a majority of their MPs. Or likely each. (Saddam may additionally have been deluded and positively was an evil dictator, however we had lengthy failed those that tried to oppose him.) The invasion was felony, however the lack of planning for the occupation that inevitably adopted much more so.
So Saturday’s march, organised by Cease The Warfare, The Marketing campaign For Nuclear Disarmament and The British Muslim Initiative towards each of those had my whole-hearted assist (though i’d have photographed it anyway.)
It’s exhausting to make certain of numbers on occasions reminiscent of this, however the police estimate is laughable (the primary determine they gave to the press, of 4000, was completely ludicrous.)
It took round 90 minutes for the march to move me in Park Lane, and though there have been a couple of quick gaps, there have been loads of instances when the huge avenue was too crowded to essentially take footage. My estimate of the typical variety of individuals passing me per minute is 200-600, giving a complete of 18,000-50,000 marchers from Hyde Park.
You may add to those figures maybe one other 10-20% who for numerous causes go direct to the rally or be a part of the march nearer to Trafalgar Sq., giving a complete that might be between 20,000 and 60,000.
After photographing the marchers, I took the tube to get to the rally in time to listen to a number of the speeches (marchers had been nonetheless arriving virtually as much as the top of the rally.) As I arrived, there have been many individuals already leaving, and the sq. was stuffed, with individuals spilling out at each the northeast and northwest corners.
I wasn’t there in time to listen to Ken Livingstone, MPs John Mcdonnell and John Trickett, MEPs Caroline Lucas and Jill Evans, playwright David Edgar, Paul Mackney of the College & Faculty Union or a number of the different audio system, however I did hear the co-chair of the US ‘United For Peace And Justice’ Judith Leblanc, Lindsey German, George Galloway, and Augusto Montiel, a Venezuelan MP, in addition to a number of Muslim audio system, commerce unionists and singers together with Julie Felix. I didn’t catch all of their names.
For me probably the most shifting speech was from Rose Light, whose son Gordon was killed in Iraq. Along with others from ‘navy households towards the struggle’ she is tenting out over the weekend reverse Downing Avenue.
Six of her colleagues stood together with her as a gaggle whereas she addressed the gang, lending their assist. She was easy, direct, emotional.
The ultimate speaker (I feel) was Jeremy Corbyn, MP, and it began to rain once more as he started talking, so I headed for the Underground and residential.
Many – too many – extra footage on My London Diary.
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Tags: 2007, Blair and Bush, Blair Lied, BMI, British Muslim Initiative, Bush, CND, estimating numbers, George Galloway, Gordon Light, Guamtanamo, hyde park, Iraq, Julie Felix, London, march, No Trident, Nuclear Weapons, peter Marshall, protest, Rose Light, speeches, Cease the Warfare, Cease Trident, Tony Benn, Trafalgar Sqaure, Trident, Trident alternative, troops out, Troops out of Iraq, WMD
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