Wall Street protesters on Brooklyn Bridge give hope

This is impressive — and long overdue. Some 700 have been arrested. How many bankers who caused the crisis have been even looked at sternly by the authorities?

March for the Alternative: photos and report

The march passes Fortnum & Masons, the secret target of UK Uncut



The youth wing of the demo in Oxford Street




Nearly half a million of us marched in London, yesterday, challenging the unelected coalition government's policy of slashing public services. Well, it would have been 'challenging' had anyone on the platform laid out a counter policy and some sort of strategy to stop a vicious band of millionaires making the weakest in society pay for the greed of the bankers. With the bottom three percent of the population shouldering 25 percent of the cuts some sort of sign of life was long overdue.

To mobilise the largest group of protesters since the February 2003 anti-Iraq war march was a triumph on the part of the TUC. To then allow this huge demonstration of discontent pour out of the north end of Hyde Park almost as fast as others were arriving through the Queen Mother's gate at the south without having heard any sign of what the alternative is or how we are to restructure the finances of this nation was a crying shame. The speeches in Hyde Park were often overblown and meaningless, not to mention contradictory. The germ of truth in the Tory argument, that Labour would have been doing pretty much the same had they been in power, still stands. The message we took from the rally was that the Tory narrative is unassailable and true: Labour would also cut, only slower.

Ed Miliband takes the early shift in Hyde Park

Pulled leftwards by widespread public support for recent student and UK Uncut action, Ed Miliband had agreed, seemingly reluctantly, to address today's rally. However, sitting on the fence and hopefully getting splinters where the sun don't shine as a result, 'Red' Ed declined to march with a huge slice of his own constituency, leading many of us to suspect he's more afraid of making waves with the press barons and whoever's really running the show than offering leadership in this crisis. As it was, with only the head of this massive march in the park, Ed gave his speech at 1.30pm and avoided the bulk of the protesters, many of whom still hadn't left the Embankment starting point. He was booed and barracked by a minority present who were aware of the Iraq-shaped elephant in the room, and whose repeated refrain, 'You've had your chance,' struck a chord.

The nice lady from the Unitarian Reform Church was on hand to ensure the middle classes weren't scared. Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote alarmed me with his crucified Christ arms and his 'my people', 'you are my brother' asides, despite the substance of what he had to say being OK. You got the distinct feeling that few of the speakers were used to speaking in front of the multitudes and that, when they did, it went to their heads like a glass of champagne.

Mark Serwotka, Mick Leahy and a smattering of trade union leaders gave solid workmanlike performances, but the best speaker by far was without doubt Dave Nellist who should have been on the platform but had to set up his stall with the National Shop Stewards Network in Speakers Corner, away from the main drag [Edit: I thought the stall was Dave's Socialist Party comrades but turns out it was organised by the NSSN) . Here is someone who is clear that we have to fight the cuts every inch of the way, even if it means breaking the law. When have unfair laws ever been changed in our favour without a battle? Go ask the suffragettes. Nellist is a Coventry councillor who has consistently voted against the cuts. I was too busy applauding to take notes so sorry for not giving you a full report here.

Some of us watched BBC coverage on the Marble Arch Wetherspoons screen and walked up Oxford Street, site of the youth wing's sparring with authority, amused that UK Uncut had the police chasing phantoms, mustering forces to protect every Boots, Wallis, bank, Dorothy Perkins and Top Shop in the vicinity, while the scamps' secret target was actually posh grocer's, Fortnum and Masons in Piccadilly. We heard later from an American who'd been having tea and cake there that the protesters had invaded, sung songs and read poetry while the breakables around them remained intact. Ah, the barricades will be full of romance.

I never got to Trafalgar 'Tahrir' Square as we joined David Allen Green for his birthday celebrations at the Phoenix Arts Club, a few hundred yards up the road. A great way to end the day. We departed, thinking about dem yoot and wishing them well. I don't condemn them for vandalising rich people's premises. What's a bit of plate glass? Their lives are being wrecked by the bankers, the tax dodgers, the Bullingdon bully millionaires and Ramsay MacClegg, and that is the worst vandalism of all.

Vodafone, one of the UK Uncut wind-ups of the day, sending police and security to guard potential hotspots

Laurie Penny reports from Trafalgar Square.

Eyewitness report from Harpy Marx: from Embankment to Piccadilly.

An account from UK Uncut.

A good video of the event from the Socialist Party

No lead from Camden councillors on anti-cuts

Last night's Camden Council budget meeting

A lively 1,200-strong march from Mornington Crescent through the backstreets of Camden to the Town Hall was followed by a protest as cowardly council held their final budget meeting behind closed doors.

A thick yellow line of police prevented the protesters entering the public gallery meaning that the vote was taken in secret. Luckily, one activist from Beyond Clictivism, Tim Hardy, managed to get in with a handful of others and Tweet reports using the #camden hashtag from the meeting, exposing what a sham of democracy this was.

"over £100,000,000 in reserves but they refuse to use them to protect the vulnerable", he tweets, and your blood runs cold at the level of cowardice in the council's quisling complicity.

'It was painful to witness Labour’s spineless failure to take a stand,' writes our intrepid reporter at the blog, aghast at the empty public gallery and the even emptier hearts and minds of the robo-councillors. Apparently a Green councillor was the only one to vote against the cuts.

Harpy Marx has some thorough reportage at her website with photos and now some great videos. In her third video, hospital worker Candy Udwin reports back on the meeting to the remaining protesters, and actor Roger Lloyd Pack urges councils to refuse to sign off on the cuts. The same old tired argument is that if Labour doesn't implement the cuts then Eric Pickles and his Tory cohort will set the cuts at an even more devastating level. But as Pack points out, "if they refused to vote this budget in they would set a ball rolling that would be impossible to stop. They'd be national heroes and would set an example for the rest of the country."

Wisconsin and the UK students have set the bar which our elected representatives miserably fail to match.

Labour — putting the 'u" into spine.

Afterwards, about fifty protesters blocked Marylebone Road outside St Pancras for an hour, dodging angry taxis and white van man who tried to drive through while the police watched and did nothing. The fight goes on. Watch out for the anti-cuts space.



UPDATE: "No ifs, no buts, no public sector cuts." "London, Cairo, Wisconsin. We will fight, we will win." Excellent short film from thegabber.com via Open Democracy.

Anti-cuts demo: Harpy Marx has pix

Harpy Marx has a great set of pix of today's anti-cuts protest in London at her website, including this rather fetching portrait of the proletariat's finest.

I like a man in uniform. Actually, I don't. But I'll make an exception for these chaps. You can come and rescue my cat stuck up a tree any time. (Be still my beating heart.)

Anti-cuts demo: Harpy Marx has pix

Harpy Marx has a great set of pix of today's anti-cuts protest in London at her website, including this rather fetching portrait of the proletariat's finest.

I like a man in uniform. Actually, I don't. But I'll make an exception for these chaps. You can come and rescue my cat stuck up a tree any time. (Be still my beating heart.)

Canine protesters join Greek demos: dogging the barricades

Pic by Nikolas Giakoumidis, AP


From "No Dogs Or Chinese" to dogs who are warmly welcomed by their human comrades. Just when you wanted a story combining pets and politics, here's one from Paw Print Post about the street dogs in Greece who fight side by side with the anarchists.

They are popular with the public and one, Kanellos, even has his own Facebook page with 1,900 fans and a song dedicated to him. The Internationale unites the human race. And furry friends.

Also at the same site: cat saves woman during a pit bull attack.

Canine protesters join Greek demos: dogging the barricades

Pic by Nikolas Giakoumidis, AP


From "No Dogs Or Chinese" to dogs who are warmly welcomed by their human comrades. Just when you wanted a story combining pets and politics, here's one from Paw Print Post about the street dogs in Greece who fight side by side with the anarchists.

They are popular with the public and one, Kanellos, even has his own Facebook page with 1,900 fans and a song dedicated to him. The Internationale unites the human race. And furry friends.

Also at the same site: cat saves woman during a pit bull attack.

Israel Freedom Flotilla attack: eyewitness accounts begin to emerge

The UN Security Council condemns the raid on the Freedom Flotilla but refuses to name Israel in a grotesquely absurd bit of politicking.

Meanwhile, Cameron's weasel words: he describes the attack as "unacceptable" and calls for a "constructive" response to "legitimate criticism" of its actions. Ooh, tough! It's obviously having an impact because the Jerusalem Post now reports the Israel Navy as pledging to use more force next time.

"We boarded the ship and were attacked as if it was a war," the officer said. "That will mean that we will have to come prepared in the future as if it was a war."

Everyone except Turkey is placating Israel while 700 international civilians remain kidnapped and held in isolation while the Foreign office dithers.

Eyewitness accounts are beginning to surface as activists are deported, describing how armed IDF rappelled onto the ship shooting as they dropped. Confirmed by three German current and former MPs. Statement from the Greeks. Reports of one Briton injured. Viva Palestina now Tweeting that journalist Kevin Ovenden is missing along with truck driver Sakir Yildirim and presenter Hassan Ghani who is the English commentator on the long video of the attack.

UPDATE: Who started attacking? Arab Knesset member on board the Mavi Marmara says from the magnitude of the attack, Israel wanted maximum number of deaths as a deterrent.

More Britons still missing.

Like Joe Pesci out of control in Goodfellas, plucky little Israel throws its midget weight around like it's steroided up on US dollars and an armoury that includes "unregulated nuclear, biological and chemical programs outside UN observation or control, plus a history of state sponsored assassination". (Thnx, Bob O.)

In March, a visit to the Holy Land by Joe Biden, the American vice president, was spectacularly overshadowed by an announcement that Israel would expand a Jewish settlement in Arab East Jerusalem, a move that precipitated one of the deepest rifts in US-Israeli relations since the 1970s.
On Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu was supposed to be meeting President Barack Obama at the White House to smooth things over. Instead, fearing a repetition of the dressing down he received last time he was in Washington, the Israeli prime minister has been forced to cancel his trip at the last moment.

And that's from the Israel-friendly Daily Telegraph. Yikes!

UPDATE 2: Looks like another protest planned for Saturday which should be bigger than yesterday's.
Protest over the massacre on the Gaza Flotilla
Saturday 5th June
Assemble Trafalgar Square 1.30pm then march to Downing Street and on to the Israeli Embassy
Organis by Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Viva Palestina, British Muslim Initiative and CND

Craig Murray's speech in Whitehall at yesterday's protest plus FT leader

UPDATE 3: Beatings and electric shocks.

“Suddenly from everywhere we saw inflatables coming at us, and within seconds fully equipped commandos came up on the boat,” said Greek activist Dimitris Gielalis, who had been aboard the Sfendoni. He was among six Greeks returned home Tuesday. "They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used,” he said. He said the boat’s captain was beaten for refusing to leave the wheel, and had sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while a cameraman filming the raid was hit with a rifle butt in the eye,“ he said. “Of course we weren’t prepared for a situation of war.“ ... Several people who tried to stop the Israeli forces from getting to the bridge were hit by electric shocks and plastic bullets ... “We didn’t’ resist at all. Even if we had wanted to, what could we do?”

UPDATE 4: Is this why everyone's being nice to Israel? Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran

UPDATE 5: Sunday 6th June. Gaza Aid convoy survivors tell of shooting from helicopters before the soldiers landed, contradicting Israel's account. Aid activist's film footage missing.