16th Feb 2003
No War ….
It was a sea of people everywhere…


Once, there was a frog. He lived in a well – where he had been all his life. One day, he got a visit from another frog. “Where do you come from?” asked our friend. “Oh, I come from a lake, some distance from here.” “Really? How big is it?” “Oh, enormous.” “What? Bigger than this?” said the well frog as he stretched out his limbs. “Oh yes.” said the lake frog. “Bigger than this whole well.” “That’s impossible.” snapped the well frog. “Nothing is bigger than this.”

Before this weekend I was the well frog. But I learned a lesson never again to rule out a perfectly viable alternative just because it is beyond the realm of my experience so far.

I came out of Green Park station, and I was amazed with what I was seeing. I have never been interested in politics. In fact have always avoided it because in my experience that was the whole reason that we are where we are and we have been away from home for all these years. But this time it seemed different. My friends were talking about the Anti War March so passionately that I really wanted to see it by my own eyes. I have never thought about it, maybe a bit ignorant, but, was taken aback by the crowd and the harmony of all these people together with one precise and explicit message, Peace.

It will be very difficult to capture the extent of what I could see in words, it was just a sea of people everywhere, walking peacefully together. I started walking against the crowd at first; I wanted to feel the intensity by studying the faces. The first thing that caught my eye was a placard that had 3 words on it. ‘Love’, ‘Truth’, ‘Integrity’.

I went forward and ask the man with the placard if I could ask him a few questions, and he smiled welcomingly. He said he has come down from Exeter for the march. I thought it would be a silly question to ask why you are here, so instead I asked what are the 3 words suppose to tell us in respect to the current situation?. He said, it is about the people, we are here for the love of people, and we are here to support the truth. I interrupted him there and said ‘Truth? He said, ‘ Do you really think, this war is triggered because they say Iraq is making mass destruction weapons?’ he said that with such authority that I realised he is not looking for an answer so I let him carry on. “They meet in secret. They gather furtively in darkened rooms, their voices never rising above a whisper. These are the plotters and the planners. The scoundrel schemers who desire nothing so much as their benefits and others downfall. They know that the best way to unnerve people is to cast aspersions on their integrity. We pride ourselves on being principled. If they bait their hooks with a taunt that challenges this, they figure that we will fast lose all perspective. But we are here to show them otherwise “.

Well put I thought, rather strange but well put. I thanked him and let him carry on.

‘oil for blood’ , ‘stop the war’, ‘ down with imperialism’ and ‘this war is a class war’, where among other titles of the placards held with all sort of groups, communities and ages. I asked a 7 year old girl who was walking with her mother, wearing a ‘help the war children’s’ charity pull over, ‘Do you know why you are here?’ And she said: ‘Because I don’t like war, kids die in the war. They should be able to go to school instead! ‘. Very moving…I just smiled at her and thanked her dully.

Came across a few of our senior citizens walking together making sure they are not separated from the crowed. They came from Yorkshire one of them said. They said they are here because they think Tony Blair’s actions are against British people’s real interests, and that is not what the people want. He said war is not the solution. He had strong feelings about the state of terror in town because of the current situation of tanks and army near Heathrow. He said : “how come we don’t see soldiers in Rome, Berlin or Paris”. His wife said: “war would only trigger retaliation, it will create more chaos. People don’t want this; it is the politician’s game!, I am ashamed for Britain for what they are doing! “

I spotted a young girl giving out fliers labelled ‘Israeli Apartheid Policies’. I asked her why she is here? She said because they are killing people all around the world, how come they have suddenly seen Iraq as a threat. How come no one stops Israel from killing civilians every day, civilians who have the right to be on their own land’?

I joined a few friends who were taking a coffee break and decided to interview, H, I thought the fact that she is half German and Half Iranian could give me a diverse view from my fathers especially, as in the morning he gazed at me saying “you want Sadam to stay? Is that what you are going to support?” I could see why he was angry, he has lost far too much during the war, may be that blinded him from the complexity of the dilemma. Or may be he has too much anger!

H’s views were very much the same as everyone else I had talked to so far, both as a European citizen and as a mother she insisted, “War is not the solution”. And went on “The lies, deceits and the imposition of imperialism, make you think! May be we can’t do much about it, but we have the chance to show that we are against it. It is not just about the people it is about the future, liberty has the right to show. They are doing what the Nazi’s did in Germany, forcing their way. This is my first time taking part in a demonstration but the reason I am here this time is because I think enough is enough. It is about civil liberties, this is unprovoked and no real concise justification for it, what the American press has been saying for the past couple of months is outrageous and this is just going to result counter attacks. As a mother I see the future far too complicated and unsafe for today’s children, it is getting worst rather than making things better.”

A’s views were similar to his wife, the fact that leaders are hypocritical about their motives and morals. Although as an Iranian he wouldn’t like Sadam to be in power, but “isn’t it up to the people to make that decision”? was his question. “The American policy and the domino effect that Richard Perl talked about in his paper in the 90’s can clearly be seen here, they are creating Chaos, it is nothing to do with democracy”.

An Asian lawyer working in city of London said: ‘they have no clear evidence; no court would accept such absurd material. This is just going to create adverse reaction and in danger civilians’.

I got back in the crowed and watch the little groups of Arabs, Asians, Turkish, Kurdish, British, and students from different universities protest against the war. With funny posters of the world leaders, peace encouraging pictures and devastating pictures of war children and other civilians.

Some people seem to think they can win arguments just by shouting. Others reckon the trick is to use longer words. What they all forget is that nobody ever wins an argument. To enter into one is to lose. It’s that simple. If you want to win, don’t get into a position of conflict, for, where there’s constructive dialogue there is always the chance of real progress. Argument is childish. And I thought these people here are proving that by this walk, almost 1 million people in the streets of London, all in all and all in one. It wasn’t just about Muslims, or Arabs it was about the people. They didn’t vandalise, scream or resorted to violence, they simply walked and showed their unhappiness. Even if they are not the winners I bet they would feel content that they did what they could do.

I walked along to the park while Samy was still taking pictures, and one of my other Iranian friend’s was talking to me about the fact that if the issue is to stop Sadam from developing nuclear weapons, then why don’t we let the UN deal with that? Shouldn’t he be called on a war tribunal for what he did in Halabja in 1988? Isn’t it strange that how the IRA have suddenly stopped? Hasn’t Iraq got 14% of the world’s oil? Isn’t it enough to last America for years?


It’s funny how sometimes, big things can have no great influence on us but little things can make all the difference in the world. But then again, who can say, in the overall scheme of things, what’s really big and what’s really little? Something now has triggered a reaction in these people. And they seemed ready to act on an impulse that they have been trying to keep at bay for a while. In many ways, it seems as if the time is all wrong and the reason is not quite logical enough. But they feel what they feel. I cannot deny this, nor ignore it, nor even suppress it! And as I discovered, that’s a very big thing indeed.

Sometimes, the great roller-coaster ride of life takes us to a terrifying height. Sometimes, it sends us plunging into an apparent abyss at a breathtaking speed. And sometimes? It simply glides gently along smooth rails treating us to the most glorious views of passing scenery. I can’t quite say where I am now. I have been thinking about the people I met this weekend, people I talked to and the diversity of views. I realised they are all in the impression that the governments are not working on their best interest. It is the fact that certain people are dangerously deluded yet they are speaking with great authority – be careful not to trust their every… LOOK OUT, the gorilla is behind you!...These people are out here because they don’t trust those who they picked as leaders. The imminent invasion of Iraq is not just a war on the people there. Like all wars in capitalism’s imperialist epoch this war is part of the way the system reproduces itself. It is perhaps a way to create a sense of powerlessness.


“One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.” Paul Simon didn’t coin this phrase when he wrote his famous song but he helped to emphasise the poetry in it. It’s just one of those statements that mean more each time you hear it and which ultimately sums up the whole of the entire human condition. Right now, it speaks volumes about our own condition. Is one man’s blood for another man’s oil? Is one man’s land for another man’s power?


Was this really an Anti war Protest? Wasn’t the opposition more evolved around Blair and Bush? I heard on the radio that Sadam has been quite happy to know the millions of people around the world walked against the war. I hate to think he took it so personal. Was it in his support? I think not! I rather think it was about Love, Truth and Integrity.