Thousands marched in peace

I heard on the news last night that 250,000 protesters had descended on London for the March against the Alternative.

I don't think so!!!! As we took fairy steps up the embankment, so crowded the slow moving train of waving banners, I told Annie and the two others we were with: "There must be at least half a million here today, more!"

There were loads and loads of us! Some dressed up, others with DIY banners: One woman had a poster of Dave and Nick as the Banana's in pyjamas: "What do we do now B1?" asks the Deputy. "I've absolutely no idea B2!". Someone else carried a banner saying "My mum went to the polls and all I got was this lousy coalition."

Mine said: "No cuts" and on the other side "coalition resistance". Annie's was "Cut Trident" and her friend J's was "Leave Libya Alone"! Just picked them up off the side of the road! Woo woooooooooooo! Our voices our whistles!!

While we were walking Annie would get tweets about the violence taking place in Oxford street where UKUnCut was staging its own protest. There were other spin off groups there too, one called the Black Bloc, mostly responsible for the broken windows at Starbucks and the Ritz I'm guessing. Must of been them who chucked some paint at Boots while we in there buying chocolate and so told to sneak out a back door! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_bloc).

Fortnum and Mason's got occupied by UKunCut just after we'd walked past it! I've read this morning they were peaceful, didn't so much as nick a cupcake, just dancing and singing and tidied up after themselves!

We got to Hyde Park as the rally ended so missed Miliband's address, all addresses infact! It was a great march though. It just seemed like everyone was out, people you see everyday. There was a really good vibe all of us there together (ha ha) "defending the needs of the majority against the interests of the few" (fellow protester!)

A shame then that I hear of police brutality. I was meant to be having lunch with a guy I met at the housing strategy meeting last weekend but he emailed to say his friend's friend's uncle "got beaten up by the police and is in hospital. Serious."

This vid, from the Guardian, may give you some idea of what I mean when I say there were lots and lots of people and lots of lots of people just like you and me!!:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/26/anti-cuts-march-police-rioters?intcmp=239

Next time come if you can!!!