Thursday’s rally
Recently people have been talking on DeenPort about holding a Muslim march against terrorism so that we can show our distance from these actions and the people who carry them out. I’m not entirely sure this is a good idea, since whatever we do as Muslims will never be enough for some people. On Thursday, however, there was a big rally which was open to all, which focused on the “community” of London, such as it is, coming together in defiance. Thinking as I do that we need to show our solidarity, I decided to go along.
As I approached Trafalgar Square, I noticed the huge numbers of people going away from the area! Of course, it was 6pm, and a lot of people would have been just out of work and wanted to get home. Perhaps some thought that the event would be somewhat sanctimonious and belligerent, but as I found, it was neither of these things.
As I later read on the news, the first speaker was the novelist and poet Ben Okri, but I arrived during Ken Livingtone’s own speech. Livingstone quoted something from Pericles, whom he named as the “first mayor” (of Athens), which was an oath that people should leave the city better than they found it. He also attacked people who talked of a clash of civilisations, either between the west and Islam or between it and China. He quoted the slogan China is using for its own Olympics in Beijing in three years’ time – “one world, one dream”, which I’m sure would not impress a lot of people, and promised that the injured and the families of the dead would have ringside seats at the 2012 Olympics.
They then had Trevor Phillips, a news presenter of Carribean origin (supposedly London’s favourite) who read Maya Angelou’s poem, “I’ll Rise”. I thought this rather inappropriate, because the poem is about people rising from slavery and oppression, not about a wealthy and powerful city which has taken a comparatively minor knock. London’s history isn’t exactly rooted in pain or shame unless you mean the events of 1665-6 or 1940-45. It’s generally had a reputation as a prosperous city (not that everyone shared in that prosperity) which was the command centre of the British empire, something you can see in its architecture.
They brought out a number of religious leaders, from all of the main religions practised in London, but of course Iqbal Sacranie had his own slot separate from them. Sacranie simply quoted a number of Qur’anic verses and hadeeths about the merit of human life and the enormity of taking it. As for the other religious leaders, they made their speeches in turn and I could not work out which was which as I was near the back, behind one of the huge bowls surrounding the fountains. I could tell the Hindu one, however, because he recited a mantra to Shiva.
There was also a speaker from the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ Union), who spoke on behalf of all of the bus and tube drivers who had been affected by the bombings. The RMT is one of two main unions on the Underground, the other being ASLEF which is known to be less militant and strike-prone than the RMT. He mentioned the number of “union banners” in the square, which got me looking round for flags, of which there were hardly any. He also said something about how multicultural the Underground and its union is, which has me wondering if they have any of the like of that bigoted windbag I remember spouting off about “muzzos” in the Royal Mail canteen at Nine Elms when I worked there in 2001 or 2002.
They also had a load of people reciting poetry (perhaps they could have found a Muslim to read a qasida or naat?), all of which were introduced as “so and so, such and such a profession, and Londoner”, which included Jo Brand who started off what sounded like a sentimental speech and punctured it by calling Londoners “tough bastards”, which made everyone laugh. There were so many of them and around 7:30pm, I had to leave because I had an early work start yesterday and had to get something to eat. I could see a lot of white balloons, the obvious purpose of which was to release them into the sky. But I wasn’t around to see this.
All in all I found the event to be good-humoured and pleasant, although I wonder what the atmosphere will be like if there’s more of these kinds of attacks. I don’t remember these sorts of events being held after every IRA bombing. And at, or just after, the point where one of the religious speakers told us of the sanctity of human life, someone standing next to me blew the noxious fumes from her evil weed right into my face. Thanks a bunch.
(More coverage, with pictures, here at Londonist.)
