A protest that looked more like a carnival

Finally it rained today in Sheffield. What a welcome relief after days of sweltering heat. Went to the city centre in the morning and stumbled across an anti-war protest. Organised by the socialist groups along with the British Muslim associations, the protest was against Israeli incursions and bombings in Palestine and Lebanon.

It was an orderly protest – with about 250 people of all faiths gathering in front of the old town hall in the city square. There were many placards, mostly calling Israel all sorts of names. There were also the customary speeches by the organizers and the normal anti- Bush/Blair chants.

Then the crowd of gathered protesters went for a small march around the city centre, making much racket, accompanied by a small band of drummers. It was an exciting procession, to say the least.

I stood in one corner, getting wet in the drizzle, observing it all and noticing that the small presence of police was almost unnoticeable. They were there – about four to five coppers, all uniformed and unarmed, but they too were just standing quietly in one corner, observing everything. Some were even chatting with the protesters.

I was immediately taken back to the situation back in Malaysia where in any form of protests, we tend to get more cops than protesters. They will all be armed to teeth, some mingling along the crowd, acting as agent provocateurs. And of course, there will be the omni-presence of water canons and helicopters.

I suppose the tolerance comes as the society progresses. Either that or it just depends on how democratic a country is in allowing a free exchange of opinions.