it has been a criminally long time since i bothered to post anything on these pages, but saturday's march (19th march international day of action against the occupation of iraq) has given me cause for reflection on the anti-war movement.
initially, i'll admit, i wasn't going to go. having generally very low enthusiasm for yet another demonstration called by the stop the war coalition, yet wanting to contribute in some way to an international protest against the occupation of iraq, i decided to try to work up some enthusiasm for something different, something we could do here in nottingham. the traditional leftists were all already booked on the stop the war coaches, the students were generally apathetic, and the anarchists were too busy having their bikes impounded by the pigs. it didn't look like it was going to happen this time, but i think it's something worth considering as an alternative next time there's an occasion of similar merit. this fact, combined with the simple but empassioned message given by haifa zangana at the iraq occupation focus meeting at the university on monday, compelled me to do something, anything. i dutifully bought my ticket.
the demo, was of course, the usual affair, with better weather than usual which made it more bearable. the only point of deviation from tradition was the loop around the front of the us embassy, the barriers of which were covered with daffodils - a poignant symbol of lives lost. the faces were familiar, the slogans were familiar, i didn't even bother listening to check whether the speeches were familiar. it was great to be able to think about the international solidarity going on, but i couldn't help but think that i could be showing mine in a slightly more meaningful way.
my major problem with this form of protest is that, like global capitalism itself, it alienates and makes meaningless the act of resistance. by packaging the protest into mass-produced slogans, within a tidy time frame, mass marketed by paper sellers, the act of resistance becomes someone elses. this is certainly the feeling i get from many who have become disenchanted by stop the war's demonstrations - they don't feel a part of it enough to want to do it. people would rather do something they can organise themselves and that they really feel. the hierarchy of speaker and audience that seems to be an integral part to every stop the war event just doesn't appeal to us all. we want to be able to find our own voices, amongst our peers.
what's the way forward? i would suggest trying to build smaller, local events to involve more people from within our communities. i would take demo as a positive example of a regular, local event that, despite initial misgivings amongst many of us for its rather apolitical stance, has matured into an organic space for the introduction of students to political ideas. i just hope it doesn't submit to pressures to commercialise, and pressure is maintained for a radical political approach. within nspm i would suggest that we need to reach out to more of our members for input, and make more of an effort to attract them into the fold. next year we'll be left with very few of our existing planning group, and we'll need enthusiastic, creative people to get involved. i doubt they'll be persuaded by the prospect of large impersonal demos in london. it will be the actions that we take here in nottingham that will affect whether people get involved or not.
i think the most important thing to remember is that peace is a positive and, dare i say it, a
fun thing. as long as the inspiring and creative aspects are present, alongside the serious political critique, large numbers of people will participate in our quest for a world free from the scourge of war.
