From The Church Times-
AN estimated 40,000 people, many drawn from churches across the UK, ringed the Houses of Parliament on Saturday to encour age the Copenhagen summit to agree an equitable solution to global warming. Another 13,000 people joined a rally in Glasgow.
In the slowly moving crowds, there were babies in pushchairs for whom the protest could make the world of difference, the occasional tree walking, a man wearing a snorkel, young men and women with glistening blue skin, middle-aged women draped in blue, and pensioners parading freshly applied blue-rinse to political effect.
In Berkeley Square, people booed at the Rolls-Royces in their showrooms. Two angels on stilts carried a placard, “CAFOD angels — for heaven’s sake”. Another placard showed an ill-looking globe: “The economy is making me sick!” A RSPB banner reminded politicians the charity represented “a million votes for nature”. People from CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tear Fund, the Co-op, Unison, and a score of other organisations waved their placards: “I vote to stop climate chaos”, “Climate Justice now”, “Protect the poorest”, “Quit Dirty Coal”. One had a speed-limit sign that said “350” (the number of parts of carbon dioxide per million above which it is dangerous to go).
Passing the Houses of Parliament was a woman with her manifesto on her back: “Cut energy use. Cut transport use. No Nuclear. Clean renewables. We demand action. Cherish the earth or we perish like the polar bear. Greedy banks, government slackers, global companies with their dirty deals.” It was a fair summary of the crowd’s aims.
From Westminster Bridge, marchers could be seen stretching back towards Lambeth Palace, back across Lambeth Bridge and behind the Palace of Westminster. One protester’s sign read: “King Neptune to open Parliament in 2030”.
More here-
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=85985
No comments:
Post a Comment