Anti-war movement upholds right to protest

Stop The War Coalition demonstration 8 October 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

OVER 4,000 people took part in the 8 October rally in London, organised by the Stop the War coalition and CND against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event started with a victory.

Chris Newby

Just before the rally started, the police backed down from their earlier threats to ban the demonstration and allowed it down Whitehall, past Downing Street and into Parliament Square forcing Gordon Brown to take a diversion on his way to parliament!

Some protesters taking part had come because they weren't going to be told that they couldn't march. Speakers at the Trafalgar Square rally talked of the need to strengthen the anti-war movement in the event of an attack on Iran.

Stop The War Coalition demonstration 8 October 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

However, if the movement is to develop greater force against the Iraq and Afghan wars and any wars to come, it will need to develop a strong base in the trade union movement.

It is understandable that, given the time of day, the demonstration involved a lot of students and youth including students from Manchester, Sheffield and around London. But it was conspicuous that there were few trade unionists taking part.

Most noticeable of those trade unionists coming on the demonstration were some striking postal workers who had been to their own central London rally, including postal workers from Burslem in Stoke with their banner. But why wasn't a striking postal worker invited to be one of the speakers at the rally?

Socialist Party members got many signatures on a petition calling for the immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and sold many copies of the socialist.