From: "myk zeitlin" <myk-AT-zeitlin.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Re: AUT: demos in UK
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 20:33:56 -0000


I think the earlier local demos were more inspiring.

At my local school I saw hundreds of kids scaling the fences to get out in
protest shortly after 9 though walk-outs weren't meant to be till lunchtime.
They later lead the local march of certainly over a thousand, mainly
schoolkids into central London, had fights with City workers on the way and
were well up for rucking with the cops, and looking after each other when
they got to Parliament Square. They had the school teachers' union banner
but I don't know if they nicked it as I didn't see any teachers with them.
Pity about their politics though - especially their gender politics.
Other school contingents did include teachers, and about the only other
workers who'd walked out were some tube workers and some from the hospital.
[I'm told a grand total of 6 walked out at the BBC, and that was just for a
lunchtime demo outside.]

Similar processions of mainly schoolkids certainly happened in neighbouring
boroughs, all leading into Parliament Square at some point.

Much more inspiring than tonight when a couple of hundred of the usual
suspects got surrounded and totally outnumbered by cops. Still it messed up
the traffic at an important junction, and nobody got nicked so people were
off somewhere else for some more.

More tomorrow.......

----- Original Message -----
From: svejk <anterotesis-AT-yahoo.co.uk>
To: <aut-op-sy-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu>
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 1:08 AM
Subject: Re: AUT: demos in UK


> Been at the demo in Parliament Square, London. Very good, very fun -
> the upbeat atmosphere was a real suprise. I was expecting something
> mournful. But not a bit of it. The samba band, a steel drum band, a
> sound system, noise, dancing, some running around the streets and
> barracking the cops, people gathered around bonfires. Lots of graffiti
> - two cops guarding the statue of Churchill, but Palmerston got
> decorated with "Another warmongering pm" and "No War but Class War."
>
> Lots of schoolkids, they really made the occasion, not jaded cynics
> like me, but enjoying a day off from school. Lots of media fuss about
> truants from cops and some idiot headteachers union.
>
> 5,000 people acording to the media, but I think there was probably
> more, because there was lots of people coming and going - 5,000 at any
> one time, sure.
>
> There's plenty of reports of other demos around the UK: Swansea,
> Bristol, Manchester, Halifax and elsewhere. See www.uk.indymedia.org
> for various reports.
>




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