This was the biggest march I have seen in Christchurch for a long time. The sense of unity and purpose was strong. There must have been 2000 people at any one time in the three hours I was involved, with people all ages. The clear message was NO WAR, and for NZ to be out of the Gulf. It was great to see such a broad range of participation – churches etc. and also Labour Party. The Labour Party had a speaker and he was applauded for his anti-war statements but the otherwise polite gathering had no time at all for his idea that the UN could sanction this war.
I found Green Party Keith Locke’s speech clear, forceful and uplifting. I had a sense that this war could be stopped.
