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| Protest at Jack Straw's visit - Friday 6th September 2002 |
| Photo by Stalingrad O'Neill |
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| Protest at Jack Straw's visit - Friday 6th September 2002 |
| Photo by Stalingrad O'Neill |
A small but angry group of protesters were waiting to meet Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Friday 6th September, the day after renewed bombing raids began on Iraq.
Opposite the entrance to the 6-million-pound European Research Institute, where Straw was to give his keynote speech about "failed nations", was a banner from the University's Stop the War group which read:
"Please don't bomb another nation - Spend the cash on education."
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| "How many kids have you bombed today?" |
| Photo by Stalingrad O'Neill |
The protest was organised by Birmingham University Stop the War Group. Although the undergraduates were still on vacation, staff and postgraduate students turned up to show their disgust at the British government's foreign policy.
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| "Hit the road, Jack ...." |
| Photo by Stalingrad O'Neill |
Anti-war placards and Palestinian flags were very much in evidence, and demonstrators expressed their anger that Britain continued to support rogue nation Israel while threatening to attack Iraq, which has not been shown to have any connection with the attacks of 9/11.
Despite the rain, some of the protestors waited until Straw left at 1.30 pm, to see him off with the song:
"Hit the road Jack, 'cos we don't want no war, no war ..."
The protest was covered by, among others, BBC local TV news, Carlton TV News, Sky TV News, an Aston University student TV crew, BBC Radio WM and Heart FM. Several of the protesters were interviewed, and reports were printed in local papers the Birmingham Post and the Evening Mail.
Thanks to Tom, who took some of the photos which appear on this page.
Sue Blackwell
This site is maintained by Sue Blackwell.
It was last updated on 9th December 2002