Countryside March
NEWS
© Copyright 2002 to 2006 Countryside Ireland Ltd.
This page was last updated on Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday, 22nd September 2002
The
streets of London witnessed their largest protest of any kind, ever, today.
Over 400,000 people gathered for the Countryside Alliance Liberty and
Livelihood rural rights march.
countryside ireland were there in force. Chairman, David Wilkinson, and fellow committee members found that it took them from 11.00am to 2.30pm just to get to the start point! The atmosphere was phenomenal, good tempered and utterly united.
The
Countryside Alliance, who organised the March with a massive 1800 stewards
present and a carefully selected "counting zone" near Whitehall,
were also counting the marchers. They believe the figure to be 407,791.
The police had 1,600 officers on duty. As it happens there was little for them to do, other than marvel at the scale of what they were witnessing. (It will be the same for the litter wardens.)
To
list all of the celebrities that joined the marchers would be impossible,
but they included Vinnie Jones, Clarissa Dickson-Wright, Edward Fox, Richard
Foulds, Earl Spencer and Iain Duncan Smith... and probably quite a few
others.
2,500 buses and 31 trains were especially organised to brings the crowds to London from all over the UK.
For all who went, it was a day to remember forever.
If the British Government fails to recognise the stength of feeling in their consitituencies, it will surely be their undoing. Almost certainly, no MP in the UK was not represented at this march, and in large numbers.