UK Peace March has huge attendance
19.11.2001 Summary: Sunday's march should have been smaller, due to bad weather and the lull in the war, but it was larger than in October. The movement has broadened as well
Yesterday's march was a huge success and senior police may have been deliberately lying over the numbers present, which they put at 15,000, 5,000 less than the earlier march in October. Organisers claimed 100,000.
The point about the numbers is not central, but it seems to me that the police have been caught more or less red-handed in a real whopper. The numbers are always disputed, but by putting the figure at less than the previous march the police have collided head-on with reality. The organisers report (see below) that the march took twice as long to depart Hyde Park. An Inspector I talked to at the departure point also gave a figure of 20,000 to 40,000 as reported independently by the organisers. The number of people at any one time in Trafalgar Square was about the same but many always leave after a short time there, the weather was much colder and the period was longer this time.
The march should have had less people on it, but it had more. In the poor weather there were many fewer families and older people, and the end of the war had virtually been proclaimed on the media. The composition had changed a little too, from where I was it seemed there were more from the left, fewer from the greens and the peace movement and more younger people.
What has changed since the last march to increase the support? Perhaps the realisation that the US is likely to move on and escalate the alleged war with attacks on more countries. Perhaps also a judgement by connected movements (ie global justice) that this is likely to be a pivotal issue for some time longer.

There follows a press release from the Stop the War Coalition...

NEWS RELEASE:  Monday 19 November 2001
MEDIA CONTACTS: Lindsey German 07810 540584 and Andrew Murray 07773 764455

* Stop the War Coalition demo - how many turned out?
"Police figures for anti-war demo lack all credibility"
The anti-war movement, the police and the numbers game

Stop the War Coalition today criticised police for grossly
underestimating the numbers who turned up for Sunday's anti-war
demonstration in London.

"No one doubts that Sunday's demonstration was easily the largest
anti-war event yet held in Britain," said Lindsey German, convenor of
the Stop the War Coalition steering committee. "Police estimates of
15,000 lack all credibility.

"Police estimated the last major national anti-war event in London,
on 13 October, at 20,000. Organisers estimated 50,000. According to
newspaper reports, this Sunday's demonstration was considerably
larger - we believe twice as large - as last month's, yet police
would have us believe it was 25% smaller.

"As the march left Hyde Park, police told organisers that their
initial estimate, at that time, was 30,000 - that is, 50 per cent
larger than the march on 13 October. We indicated immediately that we
believed the number to be much higher. It appears that police
estimates were downgraded after the demonstration.

"Could it be that the police succumbed to political pressure from
Downing Street to massage the figures downwards?"

"Our estimate of 100,000 was based on extensive and separate counts
made by organisers who repeatedly walked the length of the march and
who, later, viewed the full crowd overflowing Trafalgar Square from
all angles.

"It took more than two hours for all the marchers to exit Hyde Park -
twice as long as on 13 October.

"The real news is that anti-war feeling in Britain is clearly on the
rise and the size and diversity of the demonstration confirmed that
reality - clearly, an uncomfortable one for the government."