WDM is an outstanding organisation - independent, clever in its campaigning, meticulous in its research, and angry. Its important work deserves our support.
John Pilger, author and activist
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up to E-NewsWDM at the G8: Make Poverty History march
WDM at the MPH march, 02 July 2005. More photos
from the march.
Credit: Paul Harper/WDM
- 02 July: Make Poverty History march
- 03 July: Counter conference
- 06 July: Gleneagles protest
- What is the G8?
- Previous G8 Summits
Saturday, 02 July 2005
6pm: Taking stock of the day
The mass Make Poverty History mobilisation in Edinburgh may be winding down for the day, but the campaigning and protesting must continue if the G8 leaders meeting in Gleneagles this week are to hear our demands for total unpayable debt cancellation, an end to free trade injustices and more yet better aid.
Tonight, come and dance the night away at the Reson8 club night, in Edinburgh, co-organised by WDM.
Tomorrow, attend the G8 Corporate Dream … Global Nightmare counter conference, also in Edinburgh and co-organised by WDM, featuring speakers such as George Monbiot, Trevor Ngwane, Meena Raman, Walden Bello, Caroline Lucas, Amit Srivastava (Campaign Against Coca Cola) and The Yes Men.
A host of other events have been lined up for the rest of the week, including the People and Planet festival for student activists, and the "Another World Is Possible" demonstration near Gleneagles itself on Wednesday, 06 July.
Meanwhile, WDM will remain in Edinburgh and Gleneagles for the duration of the G8 Summit, so check back here regularly for new photos, reports, briefings and diary pieces.
It's not over yet!
4:45pm
Numbers
of protesters have swelled to over 225,000! Many are still
marching around Edinburgh.
3:00pm
Crowds erupt after minute silence, 02 July 2005. More
photos.
Credit: Robin Prime/Christian Aid
Despite the tens of thousands of people gathered in The Meadows and still marching around Edinburgh to Make Poverty History, a hush descended over the city for the minute silence at 3pm. The only sound came from the police helicopters' whirring blades.
At the signal of a flare, marchers stopped marching, chanters stopped chanting, drummers stopped drumming, and as thousands of balloons were released into the sky, everyone remembered those living in extreme poverty around the world.
After the minute, the crowds erupted into a shower of clapping, cheering and whistling - a rush of noisy protest to remind the G8 leaders that all unpayable debt must be cancelled, free trade injustices must end, and there must be more and better aid.
2:45pm
More than 200,000 people have now converged on Edinburgh to Make Poverty History and yet thousands more seem to be arriving. Some are still waiting to join the march that began at 1pm!
1:30pm - 2:30pm
WDM at The Meadows, 02 July 2005. More photos.
Credit: Paul Harper/WDM
The first campaigners are back in The Meadows and the march route has been encircled by the human white band! Thousands, though, are still waiting to start the march. In the bright sunshine, the atmosphere is electric and jubilant. Banners and placards of every hue are being waved on the streets; drums are beating; people are chanting or singing; whistles are being shrilly blown.
WDM's Paul Harper has sent some early photos from The Meadows in Edinburgh. He writes: "Over 200,000 protestors from this country and many others are gathered to make their voices heard by the G8 leaders. The strong contingent of WDM supporters is about to join the march, which is a sea of white splashed with the colours of the hundreds of organisations from the MPH coalition."
12pm - 1pm
Over
120,000 people have gathered in Edinburgh to demand the G8 leaders
work for trade justice, provide more and better aid and completely cancel
third world debt.
A
host of celebrities, campaign leaders and politicians fired
up the crowds as they flocked to the beginning of the Make Poverty History
rally in The Meadows. Caroline Lucas, MEP for the Green
Party, declared:
"It is time to put people before profit and make trade fair. We are here to say it's time to replace the WTO programmes of ever greater markets with a new system of trade. To give governments back control of their countries' trade policies and for people in poor countries to decide what they want to trade and when. Above all we demand an end to the arrogance of leaders who claim to know what's good for the people of other countries."
Actor Kwame Kwei-Armah:
"A lot of what the government and the WTO are saying is not helping to developing world to be self determining. Lots of fishers and farmers are losing their livelihoods because they cannot compete. People want to trade themselves out of poverty. We need to push [the G8 leaders] to know that free trade is not necessarily fair trade."
Across a sea of white - people wearing white t-shirts to symbolise Make Poverty History - actor Pete Postlethwaite shouted:
"I'm not interested in picking up the crumbs of compassion, I want the full menu of rights. We're calling not for free trade but for trade justice. And for 100% unconditional debt cancellation. We also want the aid to be put straight into the hands of the people who need it, not a small elite."
Author Noreena Hertz, speaking to a crowd of thousands as they left to march to Make Poverty History:
"It is unacceptable that the deal on debt that was agreed three weeks ago in London and was trumpeted by the world's leaders as 'so historic' will only relieve debts in 18 of the 62 countries that need it."
Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby spurred the campaigners on before they embarked on the rally: "The cynics say you're wasting your time. If you listen to the cynics, there will be no change."
Bookmark or refresh this page now for up-to-the-minute reports of and photos from the weekend.
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