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We joined the Day X demonstrations at Queens University at 12pm where a couple of hundred people (mainly students) showed up & staged a sit-in in the Lanyon Building, not a hugely impressive turnout for the largest university in Northern Ireland, but there wasn’t too much time to feel let down by the current state of student apathy as the ranks were swelled by a couple of hundred school kids from Methodist College.

After a short round of speeches from staff, students & student societies/organisations it was time to take over the streets & march to City Hall. Here we joined hundreds of other school kids from various schools in Belfast. Most people gave a wide birth to speakers & blocked the roads. The PSNI (the RUC in new whiter than white open neck shirts)  remained pretty relaxed about it all. It was a beautiful sight to sit in the sun on the road outside City Hall with chants & drums ringing out & an realisation of our own power.  

After an hour or so we marched en mass (with a 12 year old schoolgirl with megaphone at the helm) to the US Consulate. The Consulate was protected by a crowd barrier & silly RUC land rovers painted white. The cops here were less friendly (& attired in silly padded jumpsuits & baseball caps) & at one point when several demonstrators jumped over the barrier & sat down in front of the police they wielded batons. Luckily they had the good sense to realise that smacking a load of teenagers round the head in front of a large crowd with media present would not help their new image. Several people were manhandled (myself being picked up by four police & thrown onto the ground).

After a quick sit down outside of McDonalds it was back to City Hall to take over the streets again. Members of the SWP asked people to disperse & go back to school, but the kids were having none of it & were determined to continue with the blockade of the city centre. After an hour or so the police read what could have been the riot act or a section of traffic law, but was so distorted no-one could figure it out & so decided to ignore it. After another 20 minutes the police decided to get a little more persuasive & clear the road. After being threatened with arrest, protestors slowly left the road, several people (mostly school kids) were arrested.  A protest also took place outside Musgrave police station where the arrestees were taken & later released (several charges on minor offences).       

The spirit and conviction of the school kids was an inspiration to many a hardened old fogey & I hope we can maintain this momentum until this bloody war is stopped.

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