You have the right to protest.. …but it wont make a bit of difference. In March 2003 I decided it wasn’t enough to just moan about the Iraq war, and so joined the protest march in London.

The war had just started but I felt it was personally important to go ‘on record’ as stating my belief that this was the wrong course of action regardless of whether the Government listened. It was an interesting experience, so many people, voices, colour and characters. It certainly wasn’t the stereotypical radical: families, older people, ‘middle England’: the whole range saying that invading Iraq is wrong. A chance to talk with people holding widely differing views from my own, always a stimulating experience even when they are wrong ;-)

The march confirmed my belief that the ‘leftish’ wing will never make a difference until they get organised, many came with their own banners to protest against, say, Israels behaviour, or selling ‘Socialist Worker’. Now I know many issues are interconnected, but to have effect you need to focus onto a single clear message. Not sure how you manage that though. I guess those protesting value individualism and perhaps that’s why the event appeared a bit of a rabble.

But a very rousing rabble! It’s also quite interesting being on the wrong side of the fence concerning the police. They were managing to create a very intimidating presence, perhaps a lighter friendlier touch with the heavies round the corner would have been better? Even so they managed a fantastic job keeping hundreds of thousands of people moving through the city. Overall I’m glad I made the effort, who knows; Tony Blair may have inadvertently politicised a whole swathe of usually indifferent population.

Addendum 2025
In rebuilding the gallery noticed the original photos had a exif date of 19th May 2000 ~ I suspect the camera had an incorrectly set date.