Did anyone go on an Anti-War protest this weekend and how can I find out when the next ones will be?

[Tinker]

Hope someone can help. In the spirit of protest for protest's sake and to give this govt a give kick out of complacency, am keen to go on an anti-war march/protest. Same attitude makes me in favour on the firefighter's dispute. However, was most dismayed to discover there had been an anti-war protest in Liverpool this weekend that I hadn't heard about beforehand. So, anyone, where/how did you hear about one? I didn't notice anything in papers last week - but could have just missed something obvious! Thanks

Eek I'm going mad, getting my weekends muddled up - ignore the weather forecast!

Frieda, we love The Iron Giant too. I think the overall message of that film completely balances the explosions that happen. We found out about it through nursery, where it is a popular treat.
Where did you get your Not in My Name poster?

Seen on placards, etc. in D.C. last weekend
(January 18-19, 2003).

1. These colors don't run the world.
2. One nation under surveillance.
3. How did our oil get under their sand?
4. Go Solar, not Ballistic.
5. Who would Jesus bomb?
6. Start Drafting SUV Drivers Now.
7. Don't blame me, I voted with the majority.
8. Buck Fush!
9. It's NUCLEAR, not NUCULAR, you idiot!
10. Patriots are idiots - Matriarchy Now!
11. Resistance is Fertile.
12. (Pictures of sheep carrying flags) Stop Mad Sheep Disease Now.
13. (UFW sign) Pick Fruit, not Fights.
14. (On a five year old) More Candy Less War.
15. Say can you see my democracy?
16. (With pictures of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld) Asses of Evil.
17. It's the oil, stupid.
18. War is expensive, Peace is priceless.
19. Read between the Pipelines
20. No More BuSh.
21. Smart weapons, Dumb president.
22. The only thing we have to fear is Bush himself.
23. How many Lives per Gallon?
24. Peace Takes Brains
25. Anything War can do, Peace can do better.
26. Negotiation Not Annihilation.
27. Make touchdowns, not war - Go Raiders!
28. Another patriot for peace.
29. Oh, Say, can You Cease?
30. Star Spangled Bummer
31. Don't Arm a Son of a Bush
32. Don't do it, George, Dad will still love you.
33. Power to the Peaceful
34. The last time we listened to a Bush, we wandered in the desert for 40 years.

I'm going to be going to the march in Glasgow this weekend with dh. We haven't decided yet about whether to take ds along, as he's only 2 and a half. My mum, dad and SIL are also going to go - in fact it was Mum who told me about it. We're going to see if we can get some other friends to come along too. I feel strongly about the fact that we seem to be being blindly pushed down the road to a war that no-one, except Blair and Straw, in the UK appears to want, but that we seemd resigned to.

Not in My name!

It's interesting that dh, who is not normally into making political gestures (deeply cynical about politicians) also feels strongly about this.

We are going on the London one, and taking ds (nearly 2). He came on the Afghanistan one when he was 6-7 months and seemed to really enjoy it. It was a friendly atmosphere and he only got scared when some very noisy socialist workers came storming through shouting 'no war but the class war!' They seemed far more aggressive than any one else. There were lots of other children, only problem this time is how we'll keep him from running away and getting lost - I don't think he'll be happy strapped in the buggy and is getting quite heavy for the backpack.

I was really proud of DS on saturday, we have talked about this issue and about going on the March, there was an anti war stall in the market with a petitition to sign. I signed and while I was talking to the stall holder, DS signed and put A pound of his £2 pocket money in the tin! The lady said "thats like a grown up giving £100" and he beamed.

Really envious of those who can get to London or Glasgow this weekend, would love to join you. Am now on the mailing list for CND and Stop the War but both have said that they DO NOT want any marches elsewhere, want to make it more effective by just being London and Glasgow. Can see their point but not everyone can do this.

Tinker, the Stop the War campaign have hired a whole train to take everyone to London and back on the Saturday. It goes from Preston at 6.30am, calling at Bolton, Blackburn and Stockport. If you call your local Stop the War campaigner they will have more info for you. Or anyone else who wants to go from up North!

Stop the War Coalition

PO Box 3739, London E5 8EJ

020 7053 2153/4/5/6

www.stopwar.org.uk

[email protected]

Important Information Regarding the Demonstration on Saturday 15th February

.This Saturday will be a historic day. It is likely to be the biggest
demonstration ever in Britain. There will be simultaneous anti war
demonstrations in more than 80 other cities round the world!

Here is some final information from the Stop the War Coalition that should
be useful. Please pass this on to others who plan to come. Have a brilliant
day.

Route/assembly points

There are separate meet up points for the two feeder demonstrations.

Route A ? Gower Street

We are asking everyone coming from outside London to the north to meet at the British Museum, Gower Street, WC1. This is a few minutes walk from Euston, Goodge Street and Warren Street tubes

Route B - Embankment

We are asking everyone else including Londoners to meet up on Victoria
Embankment (where there is much more space for forming up).
We strongly advise everyone to use Temple, Blackfriars and Waterloo tubes.
Embankment tube will close very early.

The marches will be leaving at midday. We aim to get to Hyde Park for
around 1.30pm, where speeches will start immediately. The rally in the Park
will end about 5pm.

Travel ? Coaches ? Drop off and Pick Up Points

There are hundreds of coaches coming from all over Britain, check
the website for local details. Coaches from North of London should drop off
in Upper Woburn Place and Russell Square.

Coaches from everywhere else should drop off in Southwark Street SE1.
Coaches can pick up in Park Lane or Bayswater Road. However since it is likely that these areas will fill up, we suggest you arrange a pick up with your coach
driver somewhere to the north of Hyde Park. Make sure your coach has posters
identifying it in the windows, and that everyone on the coach has the coach
steward's mobile number.

Transport in London

Unfortunately the Central Line is still closed. The Circle Line between
Liverpool street and Baker Street is closed. Euston Square station is also
closed.

Buses will be running into but not through central London.

Useful Information

Toilets

Portable toilets will be provided in Hyde Park

Refreshments

There are lots of cafes to the north of Hyde Park, along Edgware Road. We would though strongly urge you to bring refreshments with you as they are likely to be very busy.

The weather forecasts are good, but we advise you bring warm clothes and a
waterproof just in case.

See you on Saturday and above all thank you for all your hard work in making this demonstration the biggest this country has ever held!

Chris Nineham
Stop the War Coalition

Please see below for information about where to meet. As you can see, transport inside London is awful, so we will probably have to walk from home to either starting point. Is anyone definitely definitely going, whom we could arrange to meet? I have not had any time to make a banner, but I am sure we could find another way of identifying ourselves.

I shall be with you all in spirit on Saturday and I am going to see if there is anything similar happening here in Athens.If there is I shall be going.

Grmum - 12 noon Syntagma Square, according to this

Thank you very much Janz.Are you here in Greece too?I shall be going and will call any friends who I think will come too.It hasn't (to my knowledge been publised widely)

No - I'm in Glasgow, but I was doing a search anyway to check the arrangements for the march here in Glasgow and came across the mention of the Athens march (I think it was via site call stop-the-war.org or something like that). I couldn't read the Greek (although I could transliterate it, as I know the greek alphabet) - but it helpfully had the Syntagma Square bit in English!

In Glasgow we're going to get the chance to embarrass Tony Blair, as he is due to give a pro-war speech at the Labour Party Spring Conference at the Armadillo building at 2pm, which is the time, by some strange coincidience, that the marchers will be making a "Jericho Rumpus" (ie as much noise as possible) immediately outside.

I wonder if he'll turn up? Or will some crisis prevent him from attending......

There hasn't been a massive amount of publicity per se here in the UK for either of the marches - but word of mouth and the internet seem to be creating their own momentum.

They are talking about the London march being the largest ever seen in the UK. They're supposed to be expecting about 20,000 at the Glasgow one.

Anyone who can't make the march (I'm wimping out on the grounds of being pregnant but I would be going otherwise) might like to look at this Oxfam's Iraq Campaign . You can e-mail Tony Blair and your MP from this page. I did so about ten days ago, and got an informative and personal reply from my MP (take a bow Clive Efford). It made me feel that at least I had communicated my opposition to the war to someone in Government...Mr Blair has yet to reply!

We'll be at Gower Street as we are outside of London. We are now driving to London tomorrow, and staying over with friends in Hackney until Sunday - anyone live near there? In case anyone does spot me, I'll be wearing a 3/4 length brown suede winter coat with fur-trimmed collar, pushing a blue 'Babies R Us' buggy with my dh and our 2.6 yo dd who'll be wearing a puffy purple coat and hat. Dunno if we'll have banners yet, might make dd one to wave around. So if you do spot me please stop us and say 'hello', it'd be nice to see a friendly face in the crowd!

Also can anyone recommend any inexpensive pubs for a pint after the rally? We could all meet up perhaps?

Marina - you're pregnant? Fantastic news!

I will be there in spirit, logistics mean just can't go on Saturday to London but will use Marina's email link.

well good luck to everyone at the London protest. Me and dd will be demonstrating in Granada. Should be fun!

BTW on the stop the war website it says the train is now at 6am - don't know if anyone needed to know that.

Marina, Lovely to hear some good news. Have been waking in the night after nightmares about bombs falling on our home, ds's nursery and my office, all in central London, and there being powercuts, looting, and chaos. We don't even have a TV, but ds hears the radio, and gives me a hug, saying, "I will keep you safe from the War, Mummy."

Change of plans, we will be at the embankment after all - so see you all there!

hi everyone, can't make it tomorrow for a number of reasons, but just wanted to say good on you to all those who are going. hope all goes well and we can manage to avoid a war.

Me too, cant make it due to assorted complicated arrangements involving the rest of the family, but I am definitely there in spirit, and wish I could be there in person. Hope you all enjoy it, shout loud and show 'em what's what.

Well, I thought my boys were v good marchers, even though we did end up in Pizza Hut at Piccadilly due to fears of being a bit squashed when the marchers merged and we could no longer keep our coveted spot at the edge! Looked out for you CityF and Rhubarb but there was never gonna be much chance in that crowd was there?

well done, scummy family! it has been a rip roaring success and maybe blair and the rest of the world will think again now.