cannabisnews.com: UKCIA Mayday Report! 





UKCIA Mayday Report! 
Posted by FoM on May 04, 1999 at 16:04:17 PT
Source: Int. Cannabis Coalition 
 On the first of May, 1999,thousands of pot smoking people came together at dozens of demonstrations held simultaneously all around the world, to protest against the prohibition of the herb and to demand its legalisation and full utilisation for all medicinal, industrial recreational and spiritual purposes.
In London, the march from Brixton and carnival on Clapham Common was a wonderful manifestation of our pot culture in full effect. While not so numerous as the demonstration organised last Spring by the Independent on Sunday, the Jay Day demo brought together thousands of potheads in a spirit of positivity. There were less than a thousand of us when we set out from Rush Common in Brixton, and the Exodus 'observation vehicle' and sound system that was supposed to leave the march hadn't materialised, but more people kept arriving all the time. In the centre of Brixton another demonstration, organised by the Anti Nazi League to demonstrate solidarity in the face of the recent nailbombing campaign, was rallying to march to Trafalgar Square. But many of the demonstrators joined the cannabis march, including a couple of gay guys who were arm-in-arm at the back of the march, where I was walking along with a Jamiacan guy, Donovan. "I don't like to see that," he said, passing the joint to me and nodding at the 'batty boys' in front of us. So I had to tell him that was his problem and remind him that people should not be persecuted for their sexuality, any more than for the colour of their skin. Donovan said "true", but he also asked me, "Where are all the black people today?" Indeed, there were more black people watching from the pavement as we passed through Brixton than joined us on the march. Maybe they didn't feel like they'd been invited. The Exodus vehicles caught up with us in Stockwell Road, but couldn't get past the truck loads of coppers at the back of the march. The police, BTW, were on best behaviour all day. I didn't have a camera, but one of my enduring mental images was of this guy holding one end of a banner under one arm, a bag of buds and a medium-sized bong, which he somehow managed to fill and light while walking along. Within a radius of a couple of yards, three policeman in florescent jackets watched him intently, with varying expressions of incredulity! Exodus pulled some sleight and suddenly their Observation Vehicle was at the top of the march, holding up the proceedings until the flatbed with the sound system caught up. At Stockwell Cross, me and Donovan dodged into Jacks ("Cheapest Beer In South London") for brew and, when we emerged, the throng up Clapham Road was a quarter mile long and many thousands of peeps: five plus. We swayed up to Clapham and I got to cradle the money bucket for a while. It was a long route, some two and a half miles, but worth it because so many people got to join us. But, thank dawgs for the uniformed police, on the march and up on the common, for patrolling so assiduously. OK, they did have a great big Observation Vehicle of their own in the park, and theirs had a fuck off video camera on it all afternoon, but I actually felt reassured by their presence. In times of fascist bomb nutter outrages, who are you gonna call? Donovan couldn't take it beyond Clapham High Street and he peeled off into the Pub With No Name, waving a cheery farewell. Guess he'd had enough protesting and didn't fancy partying in the park with a load of white people and their queer friends. Sigh. On the Common, it was wicked. By the time I arrived, at the back of the march, the area was packed with people sitting down and skinning up and the sun was shining and the weather was sweet. Makes you want to move your dancing feet. Exodus were setting up in a tent in one corner; there was a wicked Irish jug band playing through the solar-and-pedal-powered Rinky Dink system; a nutty Ska/traveller band I half caught during the afternoon. Without a main stage to worship, most everybody resolved to chill right out. In the speakers' tent I heard Glen Jenkins from Exodus describe a TV show they just made for the Channel 4 'Living With The Enemy' series, to be broadcast in September. A silly Tory schoolboy from Cambridge University came to stay with them at HAZ Manor for a few days. They made him welcome, toasted him in an in-house debate and then took him to a radio station for a re-match, where they toasted him again. At this point, Tory Boy bailed out. Not only did he run away from the TV cameras, but he informed on them to the police. He said they were all stoned all of the time and the whole place stank of marijuana smoke! Jack & Tina from the CLCIA were joined by Alun, who made a simple but very effective toast to absent friends: "People who have been put in prison for smoking a joint. Or selling a joint. Or just passing a joint to their friends." The Prohibitionists claim that hardly anyone gets busted for simple possession any more, but like Andy Cornwell said, the recent statistics for 1997 show that some 2,400 folks got put away in that year for the victimless crime of possessing cannabis. And, like Andy also said, Saturday's event demonstrated that us pot smokers are an asset to society, not a threat. Most affecting speech of the day was from Erica Mann, introduced by Mark Thomas off the telly (who ate all the pies?). Erica's not a political activist; she'd never made a speech before they locked her dad up for self-medicating his rheumatoid arthritis. Eric grew 12 plants for his own use and they gave him a month in prison for each one of them. Now they've refused him leave to appeal and left him to rot in a cell, in constant pain, denied access to the one medicine that gives him some relief from his condition. The only thing we can do to help is to send letters of support to Eric, c/o Erica Mann, at 2 Harbour Way, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales, SA72 6DB, before May 20, when Erica will present the letters during her own lobby of Parliament. Howard Marks did his thing and did it good, spinning some questions from the crowd. I liked his take on corporate drug testing: "I don't mind companies that decide they don't want to employ people like me. I just want the freedom to run a company that only employs people who do smoke dope". Big Up also to Buster Nolan, of Talking Trees, who once again laid down his crazy, mystic wisdom (although he forgot to mention the trees, this time out!) It was great to see so many old friends, like Danny Kushlick and the Transform crew; Tim Malyon (growing more hemp this year!); big Ben, bringing back the Bush Telegraph for another bite; Ben Ben, looking even more like a hippy (get in touch, dude); Matthew Atha and Sean Blanchard from the IDMU; Hempseed Organics in the area (clean and serene); plus all the usual faces (Kim Eley!). It was a real gathering: 'nuff respect to Chris (those t.shirts never got sold), Shane (you're going to pay!), Tim (it worked!) and all who made it happen. By seven I was stoned, man, and starving hungry. The jerk chicken facility was over subscribed. I slipped off to collect my bike from the start point, picked up food on the way and sat there, back on a deserted Rush Common, pigging out. Never did go back to help clean up; legs gave up. Sorry. Schmoo report and pics: http://www.schmoo.co.uk/london News submitted by Pat Whelan!Thanks Pat!
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