Date: Sun, 02 May 1999 00:04:45 +0100 From: OW-jgh Subject: Protest march On Saturday, 1st May a number of L/G/B/T community groups including OutRage!, Stonewall, and London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard, joined the protest march called by Lambeth UNISON, and backed by the Anti-Nazi League, the National Assembly Against Racism, and the National Black Alliance. With a police foot and helicopter escort, the march left Brixton, site of the first bomb, at 1:20 p.m.. OutRage! placards, (reflecting Tony Blair's pre-Election mantra "Education, Education, Education!"), carried the texts: -- GAYS & LESBIANS AGAINST RACISM -- EDUCATION: PROMOTE INTEGRATION -- EDUCATION: ELIMINATE INTOLERANCE -- EDUCATION: ERADICATE RACISM & HOMOPHOBIA -- ANTI-HATE-CRIME LEGISLATION NOW! Cheer-leaders led a continual chant, of which the most popular was: "Black, white, gay, str8, When the fascists attack, we fight back!" Police estimated 600 marchers: more likely, 600 police! At 2:50 the marchers paused outside St. Thomas's Hospital, (where some of the injured are being treated), for a minute's silence. At 2:55 the march halted for quarter of an hour at the end of Downing Street: the iron gates to which were reinforced this afternoon by a thick cordon of police stretching down Whitehall. The march paused briefly in Trafalgar Square, before regrouping behind the OutRage! contingent and continuing to Old Compton Street, the scene of Friday's bomb, where a further minute's silence was held whilst demonstrators gave the clenched-fist salute. The march continued through Soho Square, where four police were foolishly ordered to barricade the demonstrators within the park railings. This led to scuffles: but violence was avoided when the police eventually relented, and allowed the march to return to Trafalgar Square: 3 hours after leaving Brixton. Update, with pictures, at http://www.OutRage.cygnet.co.uk/sohobomb.htm ======================================= ======================================= -- You may leave this list automatically by sending a message to list-processor@diversity.org.uk, containing a line that says unsubscribe outrage-world The 'lists' command will give information about other services