Protesters prepare for 'family' demo in London

reply to post by stephinrazin

Very nice find .
Thank you

Originally posted by superwurzel666
reply to post by PurpleDog UK

 

This is exactly the sort of thing that was worrying me in the first place. As someone with mental health issues, the cuts are gonna hurt me badly because support workers may be reduced, and then i'm either left going under or my family are left having to spend half the time putting me up. There are many folks there with very legit issues to protest, but it only takes a few to start a free-for-all for the entire legitimacy of the whole thing to be denied by those in the ivory towers of Westminser.

SW

On a personal level I sympathize with your situation and I hope you hold your head up high and walk tall....... I agree with your sentiment that support should be there for those who may need it, that is a decent and caring society which I subscribe too and wish to be the case !

BUT , as you highlight......... protests like this 'degenerate' during the day and then any message is lost becasue the MSM are then keen to show FEAR, HURT and DAMAGE and UPSET..... it just misses the point.........

To all of you on this site who support Protesting...... I think you are mis-guided and brainwashed by polictal beliefs and Union officials whom are trying to build their profile and ultimately their own power !!!!!!

PDUK

reply to post by PurpleDog UK


Absolutely. Although I can no longer work I still try to make myself useful in my own community, whether its going to my local park where I walk my dog and picking up all the litter, dog mess and needles, or going round to local elderly folk in the winter and doing their shopping so that they don't fall.

But if I loose my support workers and some of my free meds then I'm quite possibly gonna have to get myself sectioned, and I don't see what the government thinks it's going to achieve by that.

I don't think protests are the answer, I think what is needed is for more working class people to stop being so bloody apathetic and start speaking out with their votes!

Originally posted by PurpleDog UK

Originally posted by superwurzel666
reply to post by PurpleDog UK

 

This is exactly the sort of thing that was worrying me in the first place. As someone with mental health issues, the cuts are gonna hurt me badly because support workers may be reduced, and then i'm either left going under or my family are left having to spend half the time putting me up. There are many folks there with very legit issues to protest, but it only takes a few to start a free-for-all for the entire legitimacy of the whole thing to be denied by those in the ivory towers of Westminser.

SW

On a personal level I sympathize with your situation and I hope you hold your head up high and walk tall....... I agree with your sentiment that support should be there for those who may need it, that is a decent and caring society which I subscribe too and wish to be the case !

BUT , as you highlight......... protests like this 'degenerate' during the day and then any message is lost becasue the MSM are then keen to show FEAR, HURT and DAMAGE and UPSET..... it just misses the point.........

To all of you on this site who support Protesting...... I think you are mis-guided and brainwashed by polictal beliefs and Union officials whom are trying to build their profile and ultimately their own power !!!!!!

PDUK

You think protesting as a whole is being brainwashed ? Seriously?

I disagree sir

Originally posted by Mark Harris
I've been keeping an eye on this most of the morning and here are the very active #UKUncut tweets. Perhaps most notable, being the most oft repeated are the tweets stating that #blackbloc are not #UKUncut.

DW_76: RT @Tiresias23: @Advocacy4Israel #blackbloc are the violent group in black and balaclavas - no connection to #ukuncut at all.

reply to post by johngtr

 

Also I have noticed in the BBC's commentary that the studio guest, Matthew Sinclair of The TaxPayers' Alliance repeatedly suggest that the argument here is that cuts are not needed and therefore the demonstrators have no real point worthy of considering. Perhaps he is that clueless (he did seem to drift off later going on to blame 'gold edged pension schemes of the public sector' as being the main reason for the current financial difficulties) but I was surprised that nobody at the BBC questioned him as to what he may believe was the meaning behind 'March for the alternative'.

Thanks, that's a huge help, and clears up the confusion I've had since the problems started. So this Black bloc just happened to start causing trouble once Milliband started speaking in Hyde Park, which made his speech go off air (very convenient for the UK government.) and onto them instead. It never went back to his speech either, is causing problems for UK Uncut, (the BBC have even labelled them as UK Uncut at least once.) one of the most effective protest groups, and brings a darker side to the whole peaceful protest march.....conspiracy anyone?

reply to post by Hitoshura


Conspiracy ? Of course, but records of it will be kept on lockdown until at least three decades after the next election, and the truth will have no bearing on what happens as a result of the actions of this minority of sociopathic troublemakers.

guys whats happening im the tweets are short. They stopped reporting on it here i don't know where else to observe

Breakaway Protesters Now holding up in Fortnum & Mason store ( According to BBC ) -

Fortnum & Mason, often shortened to just "Fortnum's" is a department store and Royal Warrant holder, situated in central London, with two other branches in Japan. Its headquarters are located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. It is privately owned by Wittington Investments Ltd. Fortnum and Mason is recognised internationally for its high quality goods

en.wikipedia.org...

Edit Fire at Oxford circus - middle of the road - live on BBC tv

Another thing : if there's supposedly 4,500 police there today then why have they let this group go all over Oxford Street smashing shops up for hours without calling in backup, when the rest of the protesters have been peaceful from the off? They seem all too happy to tarnish the hundreds of thousands who marched through London and on to Hyde Park by allowing it to carry on. Then they'll have probably some type of scuffle later on which will take away even more coverage from the main march. It just seems rigged.

Originally posted by Hitoshura
Another thing : if there's supposedly 4,500 police there today then why have they let this group go all over Oxford Street smashing shops up for hours without calling in backup, when the rest of the protesters have been peaceful from the off? They seem all too happy to tarnish the hundreds of thousands who marched through London and on to Hyde Park by allowing it to carry on. Then they'll have probably some type of scuffle later on which will take away even more coverage from the main march. It just seems rigged.

surely those intent on violence are the ones tarnishing the protest ........just a thought

Latest 4 officers injured and 13 people arrested -

Originally posted by gambon

surely those intent on violence are the ones tarnishing the protest ........just a thought

Agreed, that's what I meant. They seem to have mixed with UK Uncut and just caused trouble from the start.

Just seen footage of protesters breaking and shattering the large window front of a Santander Bank
They Previously attacked a HSBC Bank
and moments ago attacked a Lloyds TSB Bank also,

Telegraph Blog

17:59 Daniel Hannan, Telegraph blogger and MEP, questions the negativity of the protest, in the post: 'March for the Alternative'? WHAT alternative?

17.35 Lloyds TSB bank on Piccadilly is under attack from protesters, at least one large plate glass window has been smashed, with banner poles now being used as weapons, while red paint bombs have been thrown. Nearby a protester is being treated for a head wound by police medics.

Quote 17.30 Reporter Michael Howie is among a crowd of thousands of people contained within the police kettle surrounding Fortnum & Mason. He sends this report:

"Skirmishes have broken out as police block off the exits to Piccadilly, with protesters charging either end. Shop windows have been smashed as terrified demonstrators and shoppers got caught up in the violence

One father sheltered her distraught little girl in a doorway as missiles were flung at riot police who hit back, striking some with their shield.

Peter and Elizabeth Davies, both 73, from Guernsey, were desperate to escape the clashes.

'I came here to see my mother in a nursing home and we just wanted to find a nice place to eat," said Mr Davies, taking refuge with his wife in a close.'

'It's terrifying,' said Mrs Davies. 'I've never seen anything like it before.'"

Quote 17.10 In Oxford Circus, many shops are now closed, though shoppers continue to stroll among activists, with the main troublemakers dressed in black, says reporter Ben Leach:

"Many of the shops around Oxford Circus are now closed as hundreds of activists continue to protest outside Topshop. Dozens of police officers are lining the entrance and seven riot vans are parked nearby.

Banners reading 'Keep warm, burn out the rich' are draped from traffic lights, and flags depicting Che Guevara are being carried by the remaining hardcore of protesters.

Shoppers continue to stroll through the area, which is filled mainly with activists, most of whom seem to be either teenagers or in their twenties or early thirties. The main trouble makers are dressed head to toe in black, some wearing face masks, scarves to cover their faces and helmets."

Quote

17.00 Police have kettled thousands of protesters in the Piccadilly area, surrounding Fortnum & Mason. From inside the kettle, reporter David Barrett says:

"The police line is advancing from the direction of Arlington Arcade towards Piccadilly. There must be thousands of people contained, and charging towards Piccadilly."

Quote 16.55 Reporter Michael Howie sends this dispatch:

"About twenty protesters have clambered onto the balcony at department store Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly. They climbed up railings on the outside, while others burst into the store and emerged from first floor windows. Alarmed staff took refuge on the second floor, looking down at the dramatic scenes a few feet below.

Signs were daubed on the walls including slogans "tax the rich" while banners singled out Vodafone, Boots and Top Shop - popular targets of the anti-tax evasion group UK Uncut."

16.50 Police report that four officers have been injured, one is being treated in hospital. In total, 13 people have been arrested for criminal damage and public order offences.

16.30 Protesters set fire to large Trojan horse model on the ground in Oxford Circus.

16.20 Reports that 200 or 300 protesters from UK Uncut and the Socialist Workers Party have occupied Fortum & Mason on Piccadilly, with scenes of chaos outside and displays of confectionary and cakes wrecked inside.

A protester dressed in black throws a yellow smoke bomb (AFP)

15.55 Police report that all the trouble so far has been associated with a group of around 150 protesters, unconnected with the main march.

15.45 Police are asking retailers in Piccadilly to close. Fourteen protesters have now been injured in central London, 12 with minor injuries, 2 with non-life threatening injuries.

15.45 Reports that more shops have had their windows smashed, including Ann Summers in Soho

15.40 More marchers are still arriving at Hyde Park.

15.30 In Oxford Circus, breakaway protesters are understood to be making plans to occupy an area, at an unidentified location, under plans orchestrated by UK Uncut. A samba band entertains the crowd.

15.25 Paint bombs are thrown at Niketown shop in Oxford Circus.

15.00: TUC sources estimate that up to half a million activists have now taken to the streets.

14.55: The Ritz Hotel in Mayfair has become a target for a breakaway group throwing paint, and using dustbins as missiles.

I was following this today. Could not be there, but my sister went. She said that she didn't see any violence and that the protest was very successful. Its hard to tell, but she spoke of at least 400,000 turning out. A pretty good turn out.

I watched some CNN coverage and it sickened me to be honest. They only showed pictures of the violence and they spoke of there being less of a turnout than expected talking of 'tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands'. You could tell that they didn't really have a clue what was going on by the way they were filling in the pictures with contradictory statements.

Look, as far as comments saying that a protest doesn't change anything is concerned, I disagree. It sends a message to those in power that there is a fair proportion of people that are against a certain policy. Most times they don't choose to change the policy, yes, but it has a bearing on their decisions and that of the policy of the opposition. If nothing else it is better than nothing.

However, as we all know a lot of the media will not cover the proper story. They will look for screaming headlines - anarchists, violence, injured, confrontation - all those words which they believe sell newspapers. Worse still much of the media try to deliberately discredit the protest because their owners are scared of what the protestors stand for, because they would rather the poor suffer cuts, than the rich be forced to pay taxes... Am I getting warmer???

The Police will bully, abuse and assault otherwise people protestors, as they always do. And you'll see a violent backlash, as you always do. And you'll find ATS members on here alking about "rent-a-mobs" and "thugs", as they always do.

There's a reason for that, it's all orchestrated. The Police are under orders to go out and be heavy handed, to incite violence, and they pretty much say as much.

You can't win because the masses are pacifists brainwashed to be pro-establishment. I guarantee if some Muslim country we don't like saw "rent-a-mobs" on the street fighting with heavy handed police, they'd be outright support for them. The hypocrisy disgusts me.

People will support strangers in foreign lands if their government-backed propoganda box tells them to, but they won't support their own brothers and sisters fighting against this authoratarian, orwellian government. And worse still is that most opposed to such violence actually hate the government too!

You're either violent or you're irrelevant and as such ignored. People are deluding themselves if they think any other options exist.

What are the other options? I'd love to hear them. I've yet to come across any.

Originally posted by freethinker123
I was following this today. Could not be there, but my sister went. She said that she didn't see any violence and that the protest was very successful. Its hard to tell, but she spoke of at least 400,000 turning out. A pretty good turn out.

I watched some CNN coverage and it sickened me to be honest. They only showed pictures of the violence and they spoke of there being less of a turnout than expected talking of 'tens of thousands, rather than hundreds of thousands'. You could tell that they didn't really have a clue what was going on by the way they were filling in the pictures with contradictory statements.

Look, as far as comments saying that a protest doesn't change anything is concerned, I disagree. It sends a message to those in power that there is a fair proportion of people that are against a certain policy. Most times they don't choose to change the policy, yes, but it has a bearing on their decisions and that of the policy of the opposition. If nothing else it is better than nothing.

However, as we all know a lot of the media will not cover the proper story. They will look for screaming headlines - anarchists, violence, injured, confrontation - all those words which they believe sell newspapers. Worse still much of the media try to deliberately discredit the protest because their owners are scared of what the protestors stand for, because they would rather the poor suffer cuts, than the rich be forced to pay taxes... Am I getting warmer???

Protests only work with threats of violence on the table. Why would Politicians care about people standing in the streets waving banners. What does that do? You think the Primeminister cares if people aren't happy with his party or him? He'll just pass the ball back to one of his buddies come the next election.

When you understand government and politicians from all parties are in collusion and conspiracy against the people, then and only then will you realise the avenues they've given you to protest do not work.

I don't know if you people realise, but millions protest in Britain every year, and every year they're ignored. And it will continue. A protest changes nothing.

They want you to hate the violent minority of protestors, and there's a good reason for that. Because if the pacifist majority embraced and supported the actions of the violent minority, we'd have true Democratic action overnight. In contrast, once the violent minority are gone, or atleast controlled, Democracy is dead.

Not that Democracy was ever alive, mind. The extent of Democracy in this country is voting. Do you want to get kicked in the jaw or the liver? That's as far as Democracy goes in Britain.

Hate this place and the indoctrinated majority who make up the numbers.

Originally posted by johngtr
Latest 4 officers injured and 13 people arrested -

news.sky.com... 03415960442?lpos=UK_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15960442_Spending_Cuts%3A_Workers_To_Stage_A_March_for_the_Alternative_Protest_Against_Gover nment_-_UK_Uncut

The Met Police added that four police officers had been injured, one of whom had been taken to hospital, and that 75 arrests had been made for criminal damage and public order offences.

I've just got back from this, and I didn't see any trouble at all.

I saw that the banks in Picadilly had been paintbombed and a few windows put in, but other than that, I've had a great day out with some great friends. and my placard is going to be on display in the museum of london next week

I ache alot. But other than that, great day out

reply to post by Acidtastic


Good for you my friend, have you got any pics of your placard, would be interested to see it.