The March Against Monsanto on Saturday 25 May 2013 attracted rather more attention than in some years partly because Bianca Jagger was to speak.
It had been intended to hold a static rally on the pavement in front of Parliament Square which is controlled by Westminster Council, but there were more people than could fit on this.
One of many pictaures of Bianca Jagger
The protest began to spill over on to the grass of the square where the authorities are particularly sensitive about protests after it was occupied by the Democracy Village peace camp in 2010.
Police suggested to the organisers that they move to Old Palace Yard, where there is more space for the rally, and they did so.
The London rally was one of many taking place around the world as an annual global ‘March Against Monsanto’.
Bianca Jagger has a long history of working for human rights and environmental causes – receiving for the latter the Green Globe Award from the Rainbow Alliance in 1997, and the United Nations Earth Day Award in 1994. Among over events I photographed her at several protests against mining company Vedanta.
Say Yes to BeesMonsanto GMOs Destroy Agricultural Diversity
She was followed by a number of other speakers stressing the danger of GM foods and biofuels and calling for some more organised action against them.
Hare Krishna had come and were providing free food for all who wanted it – but as usual I had brought my own sandwiches – always safer for a long-term diabetic. At the end of the rally their bike-hauled band with drum kit, amps and speakers arrived.
The event had been planned as a static rally, but soon the band was leading most of those present in a march around Parliament Square and up Whitehall where they stopped for a brief protest at the gates of Downing Street.
The march continued up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square where I left them – the band was returning to its base in Soho.
On My London Diary there is a very brief account of the problems of GMO foods and the particular dangers posed by Monsanto and their relationship with the US Food and Drugs Administration, as well as many more pictures: March Against Monsanto.
Cat Meat, Teen Votes, Venezuela, Newham Nag & Monsanto: My day on Saturday 20th May included a very wide range of protests, beginning in Trafalgar Square with protests calling for an end to the killing of dogs and cats for their fur and meat as well as a protest demanding for votes in all UK elections at 16.
From there I went to a protest outside the offices of The Guardian newspaper against their biased reporting on political events in Venezuela – opposed by a handful of Venezuelans who called President Maduro a murderer.
Housing campaigners Focus E15 were outside Stratford Station handing out copies of ‘The Newham Nag’, based on Newham Council’s information sheet but condemning the council for their financial mismanagement and failure to address housing problems in the borough.
Finally at the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square March Against Monsanto were holding a rally, part of an international grassroots movement and protest supported by Bee Against Monsanto.
More details of all these and more pictures on My London Diary at the links to them below.
End dog and cat meat trade – Trafalgar Square
Apparently it was ‘Fight Dog Meat Kindness and Compassion Day‘ and there were protests across the world calling for laws to protect animals, especially dogs and cats, who are cruelly killed for their fur and to be eaten.
Teen Voice, who last year protested over 16-18 year olds having no say in the Brexit vote, came to Trafalgar Square to call for votes in all UK elections at 16. Had young people been given a vote we would almost certainly have voted to remain in Europe.
They say it is unfair that while they can work, pay taxes and even join the armed forces they have no say in votes which effect their future to an arguably greater extent than anyone who is allowed to vote in elections at the moment.
There were a few short speeches before I had to leave but the group were still waiting for other teenagers to join them. Probably holding a protest early on a Saturday morning was not the best idea.
People protested outside The Guardian in London calling for an end to the lies and censorship of the UK press about the events in Venezuela.
They say that the current unrest is a right-wing coup attempt to overthrow President Maduro and the working class Bolivarian revolution, backed by the US, which the privately-owned Venezuelan press misrepresents as ‘pro-democracy’ protests and fails to report their attacks on hospitals, schools and socialist cities which have led to many deaths.
Focus E15 launch The Newham Nag – Stratford Station
The protesters had to keep telling people their ‘Nag’ wasn’t from the council and so was worth reading
Housing campaigners Focus E15 launched their latest handout, ‘The Newham Nag’, based on Newham Council’s information sheet, handing it out outside Newham Station.
Police came and harassed them and Newham Council staff handed out a fixed penalty notice of £100 for alleged obstruction of the highway in the very wide public pedestrian open space in front of the station.
Newham’s use of risky and expensive long-term loans had resulted in 80% of the income from Newham’s council taxpayers going directly to the banks as interest payments. And one in 27 Newham residents are homeless – the largest proportion in any local authority in England. They say the council led by Mayor Robin Wales has failed in its duty to provide housing for residents.
March Against Monsanto – US Embassy, Grosvenor Square
he March Against Monsanto protest outside the US Embassy was a part of the international grassroots movement and protest supported by Bee Against Monsanto.
Speakers addressed various issues around the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Roundup, a glyphosphate herbicide, dangerous bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides, and the need for improved protection victims of multinational corporations.
Campiagner Linda Kaucher speaks about the danger of trade deals such as TTIP which override national laws which protect our health and safety and endanger the integrity of our food supplies.
