People broke into spontaneous applause as anti-war protesters marched into Trafalgar Square on Saturday. Marchers felt vindicated, saying that it was the movement against war in Iraq ten years ago that was ringing in the heads of politicians and that stayed their hand this time.
The fact that 5,000 people came out even after the parliament vote indicates how big a movement against war could get.
Socialist Party members joined the march to argue that now is the time to press home the advantage and up the fight to bring down the Con-Dems. We pointed out how powerful a movement could be if protest against war was linked to the fight against austerity, with generalised strike action. Unfortunately most speakers in Trafalgar Square did not make this connection.
Some marchers were also interested in the idea of standing candidates against all the main parties, understanding that notwithstanding the vote in parliament, all the main parties are in favour of military intervention at some stage. Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition leaflets appealed for candidates.
