THE KYOTO CLIMATE MARCH
Saturday, February 12th 2005

To mark the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol
and protest the refusal of the USA and Australia to ratify.

Photo Adrian Barnett

Its the Thames Barrier : now there are lots of cyclists, all with flags.
The Thames Barrier is London's defense against flooding - but its having to be used more and
more: it cant keep up with climate change and may have to be rebuilt in 20 or 30 years.....
it symbolises the threat to London from the destabilisation of global climate.
The flags are from countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol...by the time the
march proper starts there will be 141 of them.

Photo Adrian Barnett

Photo Adrian Barnett

Not long and the cyclists are on the move....through Greenwich and towards central london...

Photo Adrian Barnett

Here's a bunch of them going over Tower Bridge.
They're on the way to Lincoln's Inn Fields (near Holborn), about a 10 mile ride from the Thames barrier.

Meanwhile at Lincoln's Inn Fields people have been gathering
.......and fixing more flags to poles.

The 'Globe-in-a-Greenhouse has been set up and it looks like the police are here..

Photo John Robinson

Heres a bunch from the Green Party :
that's Ashley Gunstock on the left and Melanie Collins and Mark Dawes on the right.

And here's a member of IFEES -
that stands for 'Islamic Foundation for Ecology and the Environmental Sciences'.
Looks like the Junior branch !

And here she is again, with some friends !
Thats Muzammal Hussain with the woolly hat on the right.
He's one of the speakers, later on.

Somewhere here there should be 141 flags ...
from all the countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

Ooops ! Less one that is ! In the wind one of the flags has gone astray.
Is he going to get that back down ?

Not amongst the flags are those of the USA and Australia.
USA where are you ? Australia, wish you were here.

Those speakers are on Tony and Jenny's 'Soapbox' Bicycle sound machine.
Its getting to be quite a crush, here.

John Ackers engaged in friendly discussions with the police.
The pressure's building to move off.

Formed up with the 'Campaign against Climate Change' banner.

Moving off at last !

Out in front is Uncle Sam the Grim Reaper and the 'Statue of Taking Liberties'.

And here's some of the rest coming along behind.
Those orange flags belong to the folks from 'Globalise Resistance'.

Leaving Lincoln's Inn Fields behind.

And streaming out onto the Kingsway, flags waving.

Just round the corner, on Aldwych is the Australian Embassy.
How convenient: just the people we'd like to deliver a message to.

John Ackers has got the megaphone to organise people for a photo-shoot in front of the embassy.
That's Phil Thornhill, there, giving him some helpful advice.
"No you pea-brained pillock.... it'll never work like that....etc..etc.."

And now the people are moving in....
(as John is still shouting through the megaphone)...

...lots of people...

with the Globe-in-a-Greenhouse....

...and the message.

The message is taken to the Embassy door.

And here's John Howard for the photo-shoot
- together with an 'Australian Grim-Reaper-with-a-corked-hat'.

Then its out along The Strand.

The 'Statue of Taking Liberties' (Auriel Glanville).
Her photo appeared in the Independent on Sunday.

The Rinky Dink Bicycle-powered Sound Machine.

The long line of protestors stretches back down the strand.

Into Trafalgar Square...

Past Whitehall...

"Get Kyoto or Get Wet" .
A photo of this lady appeared in the Sunday Times.

The Kyoto Climate March approaching....

The line of protestors stretches back down Piccadilly
Thats Shaun Qureshi from Essex Greenpeace in the Stopesso T shirt on the left.

Throng of climate-protesters in Piccadilly.

"Put your head in the sand.
Or Join the march and make a stand"
A protestor bellows into the megaphone, held by Phil Thornhill
as he fails yet again to deal with modern mobile phone technology.

Turning off Piccadilly into Mayfair.

Photo Andrew Orr

The 'Bush Wanted' Poster is an old favourite.

Coming into Grosvenor Square

John Ackers has got the megaphone again:
he's determined to get everyone organised for photos of the flags in front of the US embassy.

So its everyone with a flag into the Park in front of the US embassy....

Photo Andrew Orr

141 flags of the ratifying countries in front of the US embassy..

... the US flag flies above them, but not among them....

The Uncle-Sam-Grim-Reaper conveys the message........

A forest of flags...

lots of flags...

Some Friends of the Earth flags too...

Photo Andrew Orr

...and a Hastings Friends of the Earth banner.

Photo Andrew Orr

The Socialist Workers' Party is here too.

A member of the samba band entertains the police.

Photo Andrew Orr

A young protestor.

Photo Andrew Orr

A T-shirt with a message.

Photo Andrew Orr

"The overtime better be good for this"

The Police want to get us all behind the barriers between the Park and the embassy...

But then they don't so its everyone back into the Park.....
That flag belongs to an East Atlantic island state.
It's ratifed the Kyoto Protocol but since its last government came into power
its greenhouse gas emissions have actually increased.

Photo John Robinson

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP, is the first to speak.

Photo John Robinson

Then its the turn of Norman Baker MP, Lib-Dem Shadow Environment minister.

Photo John Robinson

Tony Juniper, Director, Friends of the Earth.

Photo John Robinson

Muzammal Hussain from the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and the Environmental Sciences.

Photo John Robinson

Finally Richard Scrase fills in...

Photo Andrew Orr

Then the heavens open.....
A Greenpeace activist endures the downpour....

Photo Andrew Orr

"S*d the weather, I'll have a fag."

Photo Andrew Orr

The weather has the last word as the demonstrators disperse.......
many to a nice warm pub, round the corner.

THE END
(until next time)