LGVN ARCHIVES MAY 2000

MAY 2000

• LONDON UK, MAYDAY DISRUPTION
• MAJOR DROUGHT HITS INDIA

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

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