The anti-nazi demo on Saturday was quite small - estimates have settled at around 5000 people, though 10,000 isn't impossible. But from accounts all over the blogosphere, it's almost like the demo I went on took place in a parallel universe.
As I experienced it, me and 25 others got off the coach and walked with our banners to the start point. Where the organisers kept us waiting near the front for an hour without explanation. I took some photos.
(We agreed the above slogan was slightly unfortunate.
Finally the march began at the exact moment my camera packed up, and we moved with occasional chanting through empty backstreets to Nelson's Square, where a succession of B-list speakers spoke about the British "National" Party, but in the context of the Holocaust, rather than what's happening here and now.
And that was more-or-less it. Not a failure and not a ringing success either.
But from other accounts (which are from reliable people) the police threatened and beat up dozens of protesters at random, and placed provocaterus in the crowd trying (and failing) to start trouble.
Even the rightwing gutter press are acknowledging that, which is...unusual.
So on the one hand, it was a small turnout trudging along a bad route to dull speeches. And on the other, it was the police showing their true colours...for no reason.
No comments:
Post a Comment