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'I
have never seen such radicalisation by school students
- not even in the sixties and seventies'. So stated
one Belfast onlooker.
As
some schoolstudents gathered outside Belfast City
Hall a huge cheer went up as over 300 schoolstudents
led by a huge banner of Schools Against War (SAW)
came into sight as they marched up the road - they
had come from schools from all over the Lisburn Road
area. They then joined others from their campaign
group who had travelled from all over North and East
Belfast. The call went up from SAW to get on the road
and sit down. The road (all three intersections at
the city hall) was then completely blocked and everything
came to a standstill as a die in commenced after a
one minutes silence was held for the Iraqi civilians
who will be butchered in the coming times. Thirty
minutes later another massive cheer went up as Schools
Against the War (SAW) arrived from West Belfast.
They
came with banners from St Dominics, St Louises, De
La Salle, St Genieves, Irish Schools and many more
all under the Banner of Schools Against War. The school
students then took to the mike with dozens of students
from many schools speaking, still blocking all traffic.
Then yet another massive cheer again went up as more
SAW came into sight - they had marched from the Ormeau
Road. They then joined their colleagues on the sit
down. Over one hour later the call went up from schoolstudents
'lets march upon the US consul in Belfast'. And with
that a twelve year old SAW activist chanting on the
mike led hundreds upon hundreds of fellow campaigners
through the streets of Belfast to the US consul.
As
the arrived they were met with scores of police in
body armour, dogs, and fences, but the school students
undeterred moved forward and jumped over and started
to remove the fencing. Twelve year olds, thirteen
year olds, fourteen year old students etc - young
men and women loud and voicing their anger in their
hundreds surged forward against the consul as the
police moved against them. The school students although
able to remove the fencing were unable to get into
the counsul so they continued to block of the road
with their sit down. Finally all those present were
thanked for joining the schools against war protests
and walkouts and were urged to come out again tomorrow
to support Friday's rally with trade unionists and
also for Saturdays rally where a SAW member will be
speaking representing all of the schoolstudents around
the North.They were also told of Saturday's feeder
marches organised by the Belfast Anti-War Movement
- one from the bottom of the Whiterock/Falls Road
and one from Ormeau Park on the Ormeau Rd, both at
1pm. Then the students all stood up, turned around,
linked arms and marched as one past the police land
drovers making sure everyone came through - then went
back to their schools to organise for tommorrow.
Who
said the school students are apathetic? Who said international
politics meant nothing here? Who said that the spirt
of Genoa could not be brought to the streets of Belfast?
It has been done once again - and that is only the
tip of the iceberg.
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