Today’s demonstration marking the 40th anniversary of the Six Day War organised by Enough! was much bigger than last year’s Palestine demo which barely filled a forlorn, damp corner of Trafalgar Square. I’ll let you judge the numbers for yourself from the video. My guess is 5-6000.
The composition of the demo was unusual. My judgement is that it was the leftish, liberalish CND, peace movement types with a strong admixture of Christians. Surprsingly few Muslim organisations were there in any numbers. Someone carrying a home made placard, always a worrying sign, asked me what I thought of a two state solution. As politely as possible I offered the democratic secular alternative, explaining that socialists have a problem with confessional sectarian states, whatever the theological basis. Unless his express purpose in coming was to annoy me it’s hard to work out why he was there.
The far left was there in its full variegated splendour. A special mention to the Revolutionary Communist Group whom the world also knows as Fight Racism Fight Imperialism. They had a lively young contingent. You can see them early in the video. I fear a dreadful fate awaits them. The organisation seems to have developed a sideline in pirating DVDs including The That Shakes the Barley and I Am Cuba which they sell on their stall. I find the ethics of this very questionable and it’s only a matter of time before the group’s younger members are sent into pubs offering Shrek 3 or Battleship Potemkin for a fiver.
(On an autobiographical note I was FRFI’s man in Belfast for about two months a very long time ago. I bought a paper from them on a demonstration in the town when I first got interested in politics. I was a keen listener to Radio Moscow and would strongly endorse any organisation which included support for shooting British soldiers in its programme. The RCG ticked both these boxes. They then started sending me a bundle of each issue which I was supposed to sell. This career ended abruptly when a member of Peoples Democracy took them from me and ripped them up. Even at the time I recognised the wisdom of the act.)
As is now compulsory at most political events in Britain the platform speakers that I heard were mostly of a religious or a liberal bent. So there were frequent reminders of how we are all a god’s children or international law must really be enforced. It wasn’t made clear but I think the speakers were hoping that this would be done by the people bribing Saudi princes or extraordinarily rendering people. This didn’t really seem to be what most of the audience wanted to hear.
Enough! is planning a lobby of parliament in November. Based on today’s successful turnout should be able to sustain a fair level of street politics keeping Palestine on the radical left and peace movement agendas.
Liam redux 
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