to question whether it I should take my kids on a Stop the War demonstration

[iloveeducatingyorkshire]

I really want to go to the big demo in London on Saturday. What is happening in Gaza is so terrible and I feel so powerless. But I have two small kids (6 and 3) and while I have taken them on a march before and they loved it I am concerned that on this one there may well be images on placards and so on of terribly wounded /dead children, as well as a lot of anger in the air. I really don't want them to be frightened (though of course I know children in Gaza are suffering a million times worse) Should I protect them from these possibilities or do you think it would be valuable for them to be there?

For those who don't know:

Assemble this Saturday @ 12 outside BBC, Portland Place, tube station Oxford Circus.

iloveeducatingyorkshire the last march and the protests have been very lightly policed and very friendly. Lots of women and lots of children.

I've taken my children to demonstrations and they've managed to emerge unscathed. Frankly, my cooking is more traumatic than any demonstration they;ve been on.

Yy to posters who say that the main issue is food, water, loo stops, and how much walking your littlies are up for.

Given that it is all conveniently located in the centre of London, you do indeed have the option of turning up for a bit, and then catching a bus or tube, or walking via a different route, to the end location (Hyde Park, I think).

I should add that I am intending to take mine - though they are older, so walking a distance is not an issue.

I'd definitely take mine, and I have done, many times. I think it's more educational than any museum visit.

Oh, I'd also not go right at the start, to the assembly point or at least don't get there early as there is a lot of standing around. Join en route to save the kids' legs.

I was taken to demos from a very young age, and it was an amazing experience that deeply shaped my consciousness of politics for the whole of my life. I don't think children should be kept ignorant of global politics - sensitive, sensible explanations can be given which explain without scaring. Too many kids are growing up in an uber-commodified bubble, where they learn nothing about the wider world.

We are taking ds to the march on Sat. He's eleven and will be the first time he's been to a demo. He's old enough to ask intelligent questions about Gaza, which we have tried to answer intelligently (!!) so I think he's old enough to go to the actual demo.

Having said that, I will have no qualms about ducking out if it looks as if things will get dodgy, and bypass the actual march to go straight to the rally. But I think it'll be fine.