200-300 anti war protestors marched up the Royal Mile from Parliament Square, burst onto the Esplanade and stormed over the drawbridge to Edinburgh Castle. Striking school students from Firrhill, Boroughmuir and James Gillespies were prominent, comprising perhaps two thirds of the participants on the 17 March anti war action.
Two rows of castle officials and police were forcefully swept aside and around 30 demonstrators broke through into the castle itself. As frantic lackeys forced the doors shut the rest of the demonstrators hammered on the giant gates. Fierce scuffles erupted as the demonstrators inside the castle tried to re-open the gates to allow the entire crowd in. A 14 year old young woman from Firrhill school was assaulted by police officer B2547 who banged her head into the castle wall. The demonstrators' "Magic Carpet" - a kind of cross between a banner and a battering ram - proved its worth in the assault.
After staying inside the Castle for about half an hour, the demonstrators
negotiated their way out without arrests to rejoin those blockading the entranceway.
The castle was shut down to all visitors for well over an hour as a giant banner
proclaiming FIGHT THE BOSSES NOT THEIR WARS was
draped across the start of the drawbridge, which was filled with chanting demonstrators.
Suddenly a contingent of school students marched off. The crowd followed and soon we were marching in a totally illegal demo along Princes Street, with not a cop to be seen. Both sides of Edinburgh's main street were blockaded for several minutes. Finally the police caught up with us. Then it was off again along Princes Street, heading for the East End, and then up Calton Hill.
After drawing breath for a while the demonstration, by now composed almost
entirely of school students, headed down the hill towards the US Consulate.
However the police had belatedly got organised and hemmed the demo in at the
foot of the hill. People were forced to disperse in small groups, and a few,
mainly adults, had their names taken. However to our knowledge there were no
arrests.
This was a totally inspiring direct action against the war which surpassed the wildest dreams of the most optimistic activists involved. The unexpected large-scale participation of school students, who had organised walk outs to join the action, illustrates that opposition to this war has a potential to reach levels never before seen in previous recent anti war movements in Britain. Maybe we cannot actually stop our rulers starting the massacre but we can make them pay a heavy price in terms of disruption of the profit machine, hopefully reduce the slaughter and make them wary of launching future wars.
And as we resist we can start building the new world, without borders,
states and armies.
For info on direct action against the war contact c/o Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 W Montgomery Place Edinburgh EH7 5HA 0131 557 6242