Nikon D800E, 18-105mm DX, 75mm
The last Saturday in July saw London’s largest demonstration for some time, against the Israeli invasion of Gaza. I don’t know how many people there were taking part in it, far too many for me to make a reliable estimate, although I did walk from the front to the back of the march as it was leaving from close to the Israeli embassy.
Following the meeting between photographers from the London Photographers Branch of the NUJ and people at Stop the War, who were the march organisers which I mentioned in Gaza Stop the War, there were considerably better arrangements for the press at the opening rally in Kensington High St, and we were able to work far more sensibly, though outside this press area the crowds obviously made things difficult.
Nikon D800E, 18-105mm DX, 21mm
Things were still just a little tricky with access to the actual platform – which obviously does need proper control – but eventually after waiting five minutes or so I was allowed up to take the couple of pictures of the crowds which I’d decided I wanted. But I resented wasting five minutes of my time for no good reason when I could have done it in ten seconds. Not that I mind waiting, but that five minutes would have been spent getting other pictures than might have been better for me and for the cause.
Nikon D700, 16-35mm FX, 16mm
At the head of the march too there were still the usual problems, with photographers having to snatch images from outside a large and heavily stewarded ‘box’ in front of the main banner. It would be less of a problem if it was half as long, but Stop the War miss out by not allowing photographers proper access for a few minutes at the start of the march, and also at key sites where the march halted – for example outside Downing St.
I walked over half a mile with the front of the march, trying to get decent pictures, but then gave up and worked my way back to the end of the march, sometimes waiting for people to walk past me, sometimes walking backwards inside the march, sometimes going on but slowly making my way back to the start point just over half an hour after the start of the march. By then I’d probably covered about two miles to get nowhere, walking and running backwards and forwards and it was hot and I was tired. I wanted to be in Whitehall, three miles away when the front of the march arrived there, so I took the Underground to Westminster and walked up Whitehall, stopping for ten minutes or so to photograph a vigil opposite Downing St by ‘Stolen Children of the UK’, families whose children have been taken away from them by the secretive family courts.
Nikon D700, 16-35mm FX, 16mm
As I was talking, I heard shouting from Trafalgar Square, and rushed to meet the front-runners of the Gaza march – now well ahead of the main banner – just as they turned into Whitehall for the final half mile. Five minutes later came the ‘box’ of stewards and the main banner, and I took a picture from above the box, standing on the plinth of one of the statues in Whitehall, before infiltrating behind the main banner and photographing inside the march.
Nikon D700, 16-35mm FX, 16mm
As we came into Parliament Square, one of the stewards whose arm I was leaning against told me to go past her and take pictures and for the last couple of hundred yards I was able to photograph the front of the march with the Houses of Parliament behind them and I was able to work more freely for a minute or so.
During the rally that followed there was also a good area from which the press could work and I photographed a number of speakers before heat and exhaustion became too much for me and I left for home.
Israeli Embassy rally – End Gaza Invasion
End Gaza Invasion March to Parliament
Stop the Massacre in Gaza Rally
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
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