Enough Occupation!

Here are some pics from the protest against the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, Saturday 9 June 2007. The organisers said around 20,000 people attended which may have been a slight over estimate, but not by much.There were a number of speeches, including one via video from Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. George Galloway gave his usual, powerful oration. I noticed a number of the police men and women strolled towards the stage to hear him speak. Whatever people might say about him he has incredible presence. My favourite speech was given by Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti. Barghouti was the reason why I went from quiet sympathy to relatively active support for the Palestinian cause. He was visiting Australia in 2001 or 2002 and spoke at Gerard Henderson's right wing Sydney Institute. With courage and professionalism he explained just how bad the occupation was for the Palestinians. I still remember the way a few audience members jumped up and heckled him, only to be met by his quite fearless yet unthreatening face.
On the same day at Trafalgar cyclists from the World Naked Bike Ride took to the streets. Think of a procession of naked cyclists streaming past Trafalgar Square for a good 5 minutes! The cyclists got quite a bit of mainstrem media coverage. Sadly the protest did not. Perhaps next time the two events should be combined?