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LGVN ARCHIVES
MAY 2000
MAY 2000
LONDON
UK... MAY DAY PEACE PROTEST DISRUPTION
What began
as a genuine peace protest ended up as the biggest clash between
police and demonstrators in 30 years. During the morning of May
bank holiday Monday, thousands had gathered around the Houses of
Parliament in central London to "reclaim the area for nature".
They called it "guerrilla gardening" as many brought spades to dig
up the grass and plant saplings, shrubs and vegetables. The event
was also to highlight concern about human rights abuses, the world
bank and the international arms trade.
But later the
atmosphere turned sour and erupted into violence as a minority of
organized anarchist groups smashed a McDonald's restaurant and began
looting shops along the Strand. This triggered a defensive police
reaction. Others meanwhile sprayed graffiti around statues in Whitehall.
One police officer was hit by a brick and several people were arrested.
Overall 26 people and 9 police were hurt in the clashes.
Looking-Glass
Say... As
the evening news churned out pictures of the Parliament Square aftermath...
covered in vegetable allotments, flowers and grass covered roads,
the chimes of "ooh isn't it shocking" rent forth from
conceited suburbanites, sitting in their cozy fortresses throughout
an aging, conformed, British bulldog realm. Followed by a token
flock of politicians denouncing the demonstration to fuel their
electoral campaign, solely focusing on the minority of disruptive
militants. The thugs they target and who spoil it for everyone else
are not representative of the cause of the demonstration. Fueled
by the media, the politicians and the police will always use such
newsworthy activity to justify their purpose, rife for the consumption
of arm chair viewers, who it seems are so easily influenced. Blind
influence is a trait of millions in every aspect of social humanity.
Thereby even some of the demonstrators who may have gone to London
with peaceful intentions became affected... Just like dogs in a
pack, they find themselves drawn in and excited by the primal ignorance
of a few self angst, joy riders... primitive human nature still
residing in so many it seems.
It
is time that the press segregated the social implications of such
demonstrations designed to highlight positive causes towards the
planet. There should be clear divisions in reporting such incidents
whereby the thousands of otherwise peaceful demonstrators should
not be pigeonholed as part of a violent anarchism. And were politicians
electoral soapbox propaganda and police tactical measures are reported
independently from the subject of the protest.
The moral being that: Politics is the controlled extreme... anarchy
is the uncontrolled extreme... in the middle of this, the initial
reasoning of the May Day peace protest was perfectly harmonious
and compassionate in its cause.
MAJOR
DROUGHT HITS INDIA
Large areas
of India have entered the worst drought in more than a century.
Rajasthan, Gujarat and neigbouring areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan
are seriously affected by droping water levels. Analysts say misplaced
priorities have led to ground water sources being over-exploited,
drying out the water table. Risk of disease grows as carcasses of
animals are building up in their thousands, dumped by roadsides.
Up to 50 million people now face starvation. Crisis
S.O.S
Looking-Glass
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