From: "Harald Beyer-Arnesen" <haraldba-AT-online.no>
Subject: AUT: 60 000 marched in Oslo according to the police
Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 23:42:53 +0100



60 000 marched in Oslo according to the police, and
that is as good an estimate as any. Anyway that would
be 12 per cent of the population of Oslo, and the
largest demonstration here ever.
        It was first and foremost a for peace and against
war and Bush manifestation and a de facto anti-racist
one. Apart from the numbers the most remarkable was
that bishops have been the main speakers against
war throughout Norway.
        As is the case with the high numbers in London and
elsewhere, it is hard to know precisely what to make of
it expect that the fear September 11 created among
many seem to have turned the other way around. That a
group of young people carried banners with the text "make
love not war" pretty much described the atmosphere
together with a great distrust of the Bush administration.
        What this could mean in longer perspective is even
harder to say anything certain about.
        It means something though. At least that many are
more than usually concerned about the state of the world.
It is on a value level, which is important but not enough in
itself. It still also is much on the level of the sensible
politicians --  in France and Germany -- against the bad
mad, arrogant and irrogant ones, in the U.S and U.K. (together
with Saddam and Sharon).  I expect in these parts at least,
there is still a long way to go before stepping much
outside of the legal framework. 

Harald

        







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