Report from May 20th Demo
Wecan (CLIMATE ACTION NOW) are a group of concerned London mothers, who gathered together last night, Tuesday the 20th, outside the Houses of Parliament, to ask the government for a cross party coalition on climate change and to protest about the proposed third runway at Heathrow. The organizers, most of whom were new to the world of direct action, include, writer and broadcaster Rosie Boycott, ex ITN producer Jennifer Nadel, novelists Kate Morris and Rebecca Frayn, charity fund raiser, Nadine Grieve, Artists Milly St Aubyn and Nicola Easton and actress Denize Stephenson.
About a hundred children, dressed in tee shirts emblazoned with slogans playing on the words, CLIMATE ACTION NOW, chanted words of support, the youngest who wore a tee shirt trailing along the ground, was only one and a half. Other children held giant banners, and all the children posed for a photograph spelling out a giant NO. Seven-year-old Jude White who was wearing a green head band and carrying two banners (one that he had made) and dressed in two Wecan tee-shirts, to keep warm as the sun went down, said he found the whole experience "extraordinary and fun," and that he was there "because he wanted to save the world."
The event was covered by extensive press including BBC London television news, the Evening Standard, the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday and several local papers and radio stations. Pret A Manger and Innocent Smoothies delivered sandwiches and drinks for the young supporters.
A small group of children delivered a letter and a petition to Downing Street and later some others lit sparklers and sang songs. Actresses Rula Lenksa and Fay Ripley posed with the children and Joanna Lumley, Gillian Anderson and Laura Bailey sent messages of support. Actress Anna Chancellor said, "How can we be expanding our airports at a time when the planet's future is at stake? It's criminally irresponsible and the government has got to wake up and start listening." -
Film makers, Martha Fiennes, Gerry Fox and Bafta winning documentary maker Molly Dineen joined the event, as well as entrepreneur and former Drangon's Den panellist, Simon Northcliffe and columnist and novelist, Rachael Johnson. Other supporters who came to the vigil included John Stewart from Hacan and two representatives from the Stop Stanstead Expansion Group, and Colin Challen MP, From the All Party Climate Change Group, as well as mothers who had read about the group in the press and felt compelled to come along and give their support.
One of the group's founders, Rebecca Frayn said, "The whole event was quite remarkable. It was extremely moving to see how many mothers and children and teenagers bothered to come along - and to watch the children all form the giant NO on Westminster Green. As Big Ben chimed midnight, those die hards who had remained stood shivering with cold, waving banners at the MP's as they emerged after voting on the abortion bill. On one side of me a woman who had brought her five year old daughter fast asleep in a push chair, on the other two art students - and I couldn't but marvel at the depth of concern ordinary people are clearly feeling. It was - all in all - a truly uplifting occasion."
It all seems worthwhile says, Wecan group member Kate Morris, "in today's Independent is a report that states ‘that the decision on whether to press ahead with the bitterly contested expansion of Heathrow and Stanstead airports must be postponed because the evidence supporting Britain's aviation strategy is "inadequate" and the subject of "fundamental disagreement," which is concluded in a damning report by the Government's own green watchdog.'
See photos from event under "Media"
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