A major anti war demonstration took place in Cardiff on Saturday 10 November, organised by the South Wales Coalition to Stop the War, and the Muslim Council of Wales. We the organisers had only expected 300 at the most- everyone would be at the Rugby international match, we thought. At 2 o¹clock, the City Hall security , worried about the large numbers gathering, asked me to start the march as soon as possible. With so many people he expected trouble, and wanted us to disperse quickly. We had liaised with the police about the route through Cardiff, but they were nowhere to be seen, nor was there anyone from the press.
I phoned Central Police Station, only to be told by the inspector that they had received a phone call the day before saying that the march had been cancelled. It was obvious that the Coalition had been the victim of dirty tricks. Someone had also contacted the media to tell them it was off. I told them, there are 1000 people here and the crowd is growing by the minute. We are going to march, dirty tricks or no dirty tricks- permission from the police or no permission.
Four policemen turned up but because of the large numbers, they refused to marshal the march until they had reinforcements. Eventually, an hour late, we set off with a large police presence down Park Place. Black and white, Muslim and Christian, peace campaigners and students with banners and placards waving, loud chanting and singing. We took Queen Street by storm. We walked ten abreast past the shoppers who watched us pass in absolute amazement; they had never seen anything like it. The Muslim leaders would not allow any of their supporters to shout slogans against the US or Blair; the crowd chanted, STOP THE WAR! SAVE AFGHANISTAN FROM STARVATION! PEACE NOT WAR! while the Red Choir led the rear of the march in singing peace songs.
In front of City Hall the rally was told of the prospect of death and starvation facing millions of Afghans. Just as the continuing war against the Iraqi people had left Saddam Hussein untouched while a generation of children were dying, so the main victims of the present war were Afghan women and children, not the suspected leaders of the Taleban.
Ahmed Darwish from the Wales Muslim Council , Iill Evans Plaid Cymru AM, and Sue Lent from the Cardiff constituency Labour Party all joined the call for an end to the bombing, while Adam Price, MP for Caernarfon expressed his support for the rally.
Chair of the Coalition to Stop the War, Ray Davies ended the rally saying that opposition to the war is growing daily, with vigils in Cardiff, Newport, Bridgend, Pontypridd, Rhondda etc.
Jill Stallard