The centerpiece of next week's Stop the War march to coincide with US President George W. Bush's state visit to England will be the symbolic toppling of a 6m high statue of the 43rd president. But long before the papier-mache figure is pulled from one of the plinths in Trafalgar Square, a group of direct action protesters will hope to have put their own indelible mark on the visit.
While the Stop the War Coalition, the Muslim Council of Britain, and CND are urging more than 100,000 people to take to the streets on Thursday for what they hope will be the biggest anti-war demonstration since the start of the invasion of Iraq, those involved in direct action are unlikely to number more than a few hundred.
But despite the relatively small numbers involved, much of the ?4 million security operation put in place by Scotland Yard will be taken up with trying to counter the actions of these hardcore protesters in a giant game of cat-and-mouse across central London.
Set up under the umbrella name "Resist Bush," the action is being spearheaded by several groups including Justice Not Vengeance (JNV), Grass Roots Opposition to War (Grow) and Voices in the Wilderness.
Many of those involved have become tired of the Stop the War demonstrations, which they say have become little more than talking shops.
"The marches have been great at mobilizing large numbers of people, but at some point we need to go further to really get our point across," one 23-year-old activist said. "I don't think Bush realizes just how angry people in this country are and how offensive his coming here is. Well, we're going to let him know."
Those with their ears to the ground -- including the police -- are not expecting any large-scale assaults in the style of the G8 conference in Genoa last year, which resulted in clashes with Italian police when a protester was killed.
Instead the direct action is likely to take the form of what one seasoned watcher termed "freelance" operations, involving small groups breaking off from the main body and performing random acts.
"In my experience, the most effective direct action is usually spontaneous," said another protester, a veteran of direct action at US airbases during the Iraq war. "You need to see what the police are doing. At the moment we don't even know what Bush's itinerary is or where he is going to be."
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist