If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
A report on the anti-arms fair demo.
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
There were about 500 people there in total. The police cordoned in the wombles (a group who dress in white overalls, padding and crash helmets to protect crowds at demos from police attacks) and the samba band and others opposite canning town station for about an hour. Many people though managed to avoid the cordon and walked down to Tidal Basin Road to join the main demo. The police eventually allowed the people inside the cordon to march down to Tidal Basin Road to join the rest of the protesters but kept a cordon around them even when they were right next to the main demo. The the wombles managed to force a way through police lines and people escaped the cordon and joined the main protest. There were speeches made by people from CND, campaign against the arms trade and the Green Party. Then the samba band played for a while.
At 4pm people followed the samba band in a march around the road at the side of the protest site to the police line across the road leading the to Excel exhibition centre where the arms fair was held. After about half an hour the samba band led everyone up the main road towards canning town station. We then past a pub where many of the protesters had gone who had left the demonstration earlier and they cheered and waved on seeing us. There was a small scruffle when police tried to arrest a woman and dragged her to the ground, after people ran to her aid they let her go. A few yards further on the police again cordoned most people in on the road but many managed to run and avoid the cordon. After about half an hour they started to release people from the cordon in small groups. Most people then left via the docklands light railway.
[This message has been edited by Steelgate (edited 12-09-2001).]
At 4pm people followed the samba band in a march around the road at the side of the protest site to the police line across the road leading the to Excel exhibition centre where the arms fair was held. After about half an hour the samba band led everyone up the main road towards canning town station. We then past a pub where many of the protesters had gone who had left the demonstration earlier and they cheered and waved on seeing us. There was a small scruffle when police tried to arrest a woman and dragged her to the ground, after people ran to her aid they let her go. A few yards further on the police again cordoned most people in on the road but many managed to run and avoid the cordon. After about half an hour they started to release people from the cordon in small groups. Most people then left via the docklands light railway.
[This message has been edited by Steelgate (edited 12-09-2001).]
0
Comments
Did the protest get good press coverage? Not that its likely to be in the paper at this time.
The subsequent marches that took place resulted in a waste of £1m in police resources, large amounts of rubbish being left in the area, severe disruption on public transport and fighting breaking out both at canning town station and further up silertown way.
After all of this the fair will still continue until Friday. One must ask what exactly the protestors achieved!?!
warchild
[This message has been edited by peacechild (edited 12-09-2001).]
That demo was to raise awareness about Britains role in the international arms trade which is subsidised by the British tax payer. Britain still sells arms to oppressive regimes around the world, some of which are at war with each other. The international arms trade is all about making money out of war and killing. The world refugee crisis is largly caused by the arms trade as well which fuels dozens of wars around the world and that is why people were there protesting. The aim of the demo was to raise public awareness more than to stop the arms fair which was guarded by 600 police.
The next big protest will be in Brighton outside the Labour party conference on the 30th of September and then tens of thousands of people will be there to protest about things like Labours' arms selling policy to brutal regimes.
So by your standards a child molester is to be allowed to carry on as he/she will not think that what he is doing is wrong or unlawful?
Or do you only apply laws that you like ?
What do you think would happen if people only obeyed the laws that they wanted to?
Also - this country funds the arms industry to the tune of £430 million a year, quite a bit more than the one million of taxpayers money needed to police 1000 protesters with 5000 plus police officers.
Moonkat, I dont know much about the landmine laws. Can you gimme a link to read up on them? Is it illegal to own them or just to deploy them? I find it difficult to believe that a govt approved arms fair would so openly break the law.
What exactly does this mean? I thought the arms trade made massive profits? Do they need govt subsidies?
eep your tired cliché 'could have been spent on the NHS' out of this. If it wasn't for the arms trade, millions would be freed up for the NHS fuckwit. As for calling it a lawful business, you can also fuck off. I don't make the laws, but if you feel that selling guns to brutal regimes is OK, then that's your own moral ineptitude. When you've finished criticising people for trying to change the world for the better would you kindly fuck off and think for a while.
Some of that £400 million goes into export guarantees and when naughty people like Saddam Hussain default its left to the tax payer to foot the bill. I can go into detail if you like but you’ll have to wait my boss goes home and I can surf with impunity!
There’s also a lot spent on research which as you can imagine doesn’t come cheap (I certainly didn’t <IMG alt="image" SRC="http://www.thesite.org/ubb/biggrin.gif">) and although its given us such wonders as carbon fibre and VDU’s as spin offs I don’t think its quite worth the budget
So you too have deceided what's lawful and what isn't. You are right YOU don't make the laws.
My NHS cliche is no more a cliche than the stuff you will trot out.
So all arms sales always go to brutal regimes ?
I'm a troll because I don't agree with you, what are you then ?
peace "racistbigotfacist" child
On the same day that terrorists use four aeroplanes to kill approximately 5,000 people (today's estimate) - you guys are arguing against the ability to purchase weapons which can defend a country.
Tell me, where does your freedom to demonstrate come from? How did come about?
Unless you expect a world without violence to miraculously appear your rose-tinted view of the world woun't come about.
I suggest you stick you heads back up where they came from and let those of us with a grip on reality deal with life.
Don't worry though, we will continue paying to ensure that your right to protest is maintained. Being a downtrodden, opressed worker I obviously have shitloads to waste on you...
Labour also promised to adopt an ethical foreign policy before it was elected and later went back on that promise. That was another reason that people were there.
Labour going back on it's promise, no surprise there then, it hasn't kept any promise yet.
peacethingy
Wrong it's the people who have put on a uniform and fought and died that have won your freedoms NOT by people playing outside an arms fair in London.
I have fought for freedoms we enjoy today unlike many who post here. So if I appear to be sneering as far as I'm concerned I've earnt the right.
Waving placards throwing bricks and trashing a McDonalds is NOT fighting for freedom, no balls required for that.
(puts flame suit on and waits for name calling)
How many of the brave "I've spat and shouted at the police" freedom fighters would go and die like that...........er.......nil, none zero.
[This message has been edited by peacechild (edited 24-09-2001).]
If you were to to throw yourself under a police vehicle on purpose then yes, I'd say you had balls. But accidently no, if you want to go and play and that happens, tough.
Oh sorry peacechild – not enough blood shed by the anti-capitalists for you is there? Perhaps that’s because most of them are anti-violent. Perhaps if they behaved more like the IRA then that would be good enough for your respect.
Fact still stands though – people like the ones at the anti-arms fare. People with these “libertarian views” you pour so much scorn on, fought and died for your freedom from oppression in your own country.
There is a big difference between fighting oppression externally and fighting oppression internally.
Who, where and when did these people like the ones at the arms fair die for my freedoms in this country ?
I don't ever recall speaking to a communist, let alone asking one to represent me at a demonstration. And I'm sure someone will bring up the low voting rates in response to this, so let me shut you up now. Those people chose NOT to vote for whatever reason. As far as I see it, people who could but wouldn't vote should have NO say whatsoever in how this country is run. You've had your chance and blown it. The only people I will let speak for me are those I know, not a bunch of flag burning hippies who think vandalising statues of war heroes is a good time.
Whowhere – lovely sweeping generalisation there mate. I don’t think the Daily Mail could do better. Bit like saying all of the people on thesite are homophobic gun crazy ex US marines eh?
Comparing the people protesting against the arms trade to Oliver Cromwell..
Moonkat, your delusions are getting the better of you.
You seem to be of the opinion that no such people existed.
I think your'e a bit confused about the civil war. Why do you think that cromwell's men were fighting oppressors?
They believed they were fighting for their country, while the king's men believed the same. Besides the aftermath that ensued meant that Britons were more oppressed, not better off like you think.
As for my sweeping generalisation, care to elaborate? Or is that just your easy way out? I still stand by my previous post.