Expats Against Bush

RNC Protest: So far so good

I'd just like to post a brief note of thanks to the calmer heads who've prevailed this weekend (and hopefully continuing into the week) and staved off a full-scale confrontation in New York. My worst fears have thankfully not come to pass. Let's get this week's focus back on what it really ought to be: the Republicans shooting themselves in the foot. I'm worried about the latest poll numbers / electoral college standings - we need to get back into a clear lead, especially as this convention rolls to a conclusion and the Bush camp sees a "bounce."

We've still got a good couple months to go, mind.

RNC Protest: 5 days to go

The Guardian has a great piece by Gary Younge today on the runup to the Republican National Convention in New York, looking at all sides of the equation, and giving more time to the New York contingent than other pieces I've seen. There's also a funny public exchange between Norman Mailer and his son about my biggest fear, of violent protest boomeranging on us and delivering votes to the Bushies:

"If I were a voice in top Republican circles, I might be offering this advice: 'What we need for New York is a large-scale riot,' " wrote Norman Mailer in New York magazine recently, in a public written exchange with his son. "I don't have a great deal of hope that most of the people involved are really thinking of this election so much as expressing the need to vent, to gain some self-therapy."

"You do get a sense that the spiritual revolution may be awakening," replied his son, John Mailer, who believes that the protests could provide a focus for a huge anti-corporate movement. "All right," replied Norman. "But if we lose the election, it's going to be a very expensive spiritual education."

Are we oversaucing the goose? Is our fear of unknown consequences really justified?

Also, I'd like to hear from anyone who is planning on being in New York for the protests, or from any New Yorkers, on the runup to these protests. What's the word on the street? What are the concerns being voiced in meetings? How are the moderates faring against the radicals?

Message from Ron Kovic

I'm sure a lot of you remember meeting Ron Kovic during our march against Bush in London last November. Whilst corresponding with him about someone wanting to interview him, he passed along this message (edited for relevance and spelling/punctuation):

Dear Luke, of course I definitely remember you from London ...and the great march to Trafalgar Square that day with all of us leading the way!... I hope you're well [...] my very best to you Luke and all the other courageous American expats for peace in London, and all over Great Britain! Please keep up the good work, and know you will always have my full support! Have a great summer!

Most sincerely,
Ron Kovic

Well we certainly appreciate the support, Ron! Good to know we've got folks like you on-side.

Stop Bush

A simple but powerful concept for a website: Collecting images of grassroots street-level anti-Bush displays. Check it out.

Yesterday's protest

Thanks to everyone that came out yesterday and braved the very heavy handed (and arrest-happy) police cordon to picket Bush Senior's fundraising dinner for Dubya. I know it was an inconvenient time to have to come show support, but it was very much appreciated - and worth it.

Thanks also to everyone that chimed in with the press, as we got some good coverage from the AP, The Guardian, and, bizarrely, I believe I'm going to be on Iranian television news tonight. We also got namechecked by the Stop the War folks and by, er, George Galloway MP (is that a good or a bad thing?).

I was unimpressed by the fact that we got herded into a "free speech zone" - I'm sure it was partly to keep order as it was right outside the entrance to Marylebone Station, but you can't help but get the impression that this is business as usual where visiting (and controversial) US presidents are concerned. A man was arrested right in front of me for "breach of the peace" for refusing to protest inside the barricades, which was outright unnecessary and can only fan the flames of anger from the other protesters.

I've put up some pictures from the event here.

Tuesday anti-Bush protest details

Tomorrow's protest is taking place a little earlier than I had realised, due to the schedule of the pre-fundraising dinner cocktail reception.

The easiest thing to do is head for Marylebone Station's front entrance, which happens to be very close to the back entrance of the Landmark Hotel where this dinner is being held. Once there it should become immediately obvious where to go - you will see the crowds and a heavy police presence.

Once there, you should be able to pick out our "Proud of my country, Shamed by my president" placards fairly easily.

The general schedule should go something like this:

4:30PM - Gather for a picket of the event as the guests arrive.
5:30PM - Speeches from group leaders
6:30PM - Protest finishes

I hope all of you can still make it out despite the obvious inconvenience of the time. But we need to show these people that we don't appreciate this event happening here in the slightest.

As before, I think staying out of any trouble that might brew up and generally being respectful would serve all our interests best in the long run.

Reminder: Next Tuesday's Anti-Bush Protest

I'd just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that next Tuesday the 18th is your opportunity to protest outside the Bush fundraising dinner compered by none other than Dubya's father, George Senior. The Stop the War Coalition are happy to have us join, and they've specially requested that we come out with our placards flying high - so make sure and bring yours! (more details here)

The Stop the War Coalition have also asked me to pass along word of their emergency protest on May 22nd in response to the Iraq prison abuse stories that have been coming out the last couple of weeks:

Emergency Demonstration - Saturday 22nd May 2004, 11am - Central London

End The Torture - Bring The Troops Home Now

The whole world is horrified at the terrible pictures of torture of Iraqi prisoners now emerging. They are the tip of an iceberg of abuse - dozens of civilians have died in custody of British and American troops in occupied Iraq.

The Stop The War Coalition correctly has responded to calls from groups and individuals, for a emergency demonstration to respond to the atrocities being committed in Iraq.

We are demanding the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq and for the Iraqi people to be allowed to govern themselves.

Leaflets for the demonstration are available from the office. More details regarding the start of the demonstration will be circulated.

For further information please call 0207 053 2153/4/5/6 or e-mail office@stopwar.org.uk

Now I'm not sure where I stand on the whole "get the troops out now" demand - I'm not sure whether that would hurt or hinder the situation there - but you may well feel so inclined, and if so this is your opportunity to express your displeasure with the way things are unfolding.

March on Washington - April 25, 2004

Bush sure is uniting people, though maybe not in the way he'd hoped. As I can't afford to cross the pond these days, I hope someone reading this will go to Washington and hold up a sign for me!

Rather than post my own reasons for believing in this march, I'll let those that can go tell you themselves.

Saturday's demonstration

I had a chance to go along to Saturday's antiwar demo in London, and was joined by a few hardcore Expats Against Bush stalwarts who braved the gale-force winds and gamely attempted to keep from getting swept away whilst clinging onto their placards. Saturday's event was interesting in that although there were a fair number of protestors, it was much more of a "usual suspects" demonstration... a lot less of what you might call "soccer moms" and a lot more, erm, eccentric folks. It seemed like every other person was handing out pamphlets and/or screaming through a megaphone. Still a good show of force, mind.

I've got a web photo gallery up of the event here - video to come in the next couple of days when I get a chance to edit it down.

Tomorrow's anti-Blair protest

Several people have emailed and commented suggesting that Expats Against Bush have a presence in tomorrow's Stop the War protests in London. While this is not an anti-Bush march in the strict interpretation of the phrase, it is generally in line with most of our viewpoints on the war, and a repudiation of Blair's decision to help Bush invade Iraq does imply repudiation of Bush.

Therefore, while I'm not going to call an "all hands to battle stations" for this march, I'll be marching tomorrow nonetheless, and I've still got three of the old "Proud of my Country, Shamed by my President" placards that I'll be bringing with me. First two people to email me can lay claim to the spare two. Shall we say meet by the gatehouse at Hyde Park Corner at 11:30AM?

Stop Bush Protest - Photo Gallery

Hi guys,

Just thought you'd like to see some photos we managed to snap over the course of the last couple of weeks and at yesterday's protest. Some good ones in here, especially the great signage (thanks Nick and Graham!)

There are some more floating around Yahoo! which I will gather up this weekend when I have a spare couple of minutes.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

First of all, let me extend my condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed or injured in yesterday's blasts in Istanbul. Totally senseless acts, and clearly timed to call attention to the British relationship to America during George Bush's visit.

We must continue to fight against terrorism. But fighting against terrorism must not only consist of the active pursuit of terrorist cells and the elimination of terror groups. The fight against terrorism must acknowledge the root causes of terrorism, and the genesis of these terrorists. They do not spring forth fully formed and sporting explosive vests. The anger that creates terrorism has a root cause, and if we inflame that anger then we must accept that it will, in turn, create more young men willing to become martyrs. That is not appeasement, that is an undeniable fact.

That basic equation has eluded our President, it seems. And yesterday, despite the somber mood that pervaded the protests in light of the attacks, you all showed the world that you want a change in our leadership. You showed your true patriotism by raising your voices and demanding democratic change.

Today you can rest easy knowing that for the moment you have done your country a service, and showed the world your true character. It's not easy standing up in these times, with everyone around you warning of retaliation, and the hate mail flowing in (and it has been immense the last few days). But you all came out and did it.

Thank you so much for making the world take notice.

So, some people have asked, will I fold the site now that the big day is over? What happens tomorrow?

I answer by saying: While Bush is still in power, this site and this organization will fight him.

Our mission is unchanged. We want to gather together Americans from all corners of the globe, and make sure that next year they vote Bush out, and tell their friends and family back home to do the same. That must be the driving force of this organization.

So, as of today, I am announcing that I intend to set up Expats Against Bush chapters in every country where there are American expats. I have already had contact from so many people around the world willing to help, that this is the obvious next step.

What I need now is volunteers. The UK chapter is obviously going strong already, and we'll continue to gather and plan our next steps. If you're reading this outside the UK, and you want to get involved and start a new country chapter, get in touch. You will come to the end of next year knowing you've done everything in your power to get out the vote against Bush, and that's something you can take with you for the rest of your life.

I have set up the Expats Against Bush website so that sub-sites can easily be added at will, and with the TypePad software at your disposal managing and updating your country site will be easy and uncomplicated. The hard part is organizing your fellow Americans to get involved - but believe me once you start the ball rolling, it will take on a life of its own... and you will end up with a fantastic group of people working for a common cause:

FINAL PLAN FOR TOMORROW'S PROTEST

I just sent this email out to all of you on the Yahoo! list. Please read this carefully if you're just seeing it now, there are some important changes.

Hi all,

This should be the last email you receive from me prior to the protest. You should print it out and bring it with you for reference if possible.

Please pay attention as the plan has been slightly altered (again) at the request of the Stop the War Coalition.

I still want you to come to the Northeast corner of Russell Square, but we need you there earlier than 1PM if possible. If there's any way you can be there by 12 noon that would be ideal. An Expats Against Bush steward should be there to give you further instructions.

The reason for this change is that Stop the War have now requested that some of us be available at the head of the procession from 12 noon onwards for press purposes. The more of us, the better. So, when you get to Russell Square, ask the EAB steward (identified by holding an EAB placard) where you should go - they will have the latest information.

The EAB Steward will only be there until 1:30 or so, at which point he/she will proceed to join the rest of the EAB folks at the head of the procession. The actual procession will set off at or around 2PM along the march route.

If you get to Russell Square later than 1:30PM, or generally have any questions or concerns, then call one of our stewards for the latest information:

Angelique 0796 625 3211
Sarah 0781 293 8767
Graham 0797 660 1193

If none of those work, you can call me (Luke) on 0771 512 0153 - though please try to keep my line free for emergencies etc.

If all else fails (the much-mooted total mobile network meltdown for instance) - go through to Malet St and find the head of the procession, which should be at the south end.

Now, a couple of points.

- In case of any trouble breaking out, get as far away from the trouble as possible. If it looks like the police are disbanding the protest, especially in Trafalgar Square or on Whitehall, then make your way to the southwest corner of Leicester Square and we'll regroup there. If in doubt, contact one of the stewards.

- If anything dodgy starts going down, such as anti-American displays (flag burning and the lot) try to distance yourself from it. We don't want to be photographed with any of that sort of thing!

- If the press approaches you, please direct them to me or, if you know who they are, one of our other press people. We've got the soundbites ready to go, and will do the best job communicating the reason behind the march.

I think that's about it.

(whew)

I will see you all tomorrow. Stay safe, and remember why we're doing this. We want to show the world that we disapprove of Bush, and the best way to do that will be in a calm, determined, serious and above
all PEACEFUL manner.

Here we go.

-Luke
0771 512 0153

Logistics for November 20th March

A couple of points on logistics for Thursday's march.

Stewards
I need 5 or 6 people to volunteer to be stewards, to help keep us organized in the time leading up to the march and sort out any small problems that occur as we go forward, to field questions from members of the group, and to help out any group members who get lost. If you're comfortable with publishing your mobile number internally to the group that would be perfect - as I need to keep my phone completely free for emergency calls from the Stop the War folks and others involved in the march, as well as for logistical arrangements with the press.

Press people
We've got a couple volunteers for this already, but I need to get a couple more people on-deck who are media trained and comfortable possibly taking some of the press heat off me should it prove necessary. I've no idea at the moment what level of press coverage we can expect, but I would err on the side of "a lot". Press are already reserving time slots with me for the day of the march.

Contingency Plans
I am working on a plan for a rally point outside of Trafalgar Square in the unlikely event that trouble occurs and we have to scatter. My current thinking is Leicester Square, but I'm open to suggestion. It needs to be easy to get to and big enough to hold a couple hundred people.

Tying up some loose ends

Hi there,

There's some errata I've been meaning to post over the last day or so and haven't gotten around to:

- GM.TV want to get someone from our group to do a video diary tomorrow:

I'm looking for one or two ex-pats (ordinary mums and dads who feel so aggrieved at Bush's visit) who could do a video diary for us this week. We want to get people making placards, perhaps travelling down to London from elsewhere in the country, and find out why they're so against Bush visiting, what they think of Tony Blair etc. We'd ideally like to show the video diary on Wed morning, or even Thursday although I know it's very short notice.

If you're interested, let me know.

- Manic over at Bloggerheads.com would like our group to participate in the "Chasing Bush" moblogging drive. I know some of you might not be able to make the protest, so if you see Dubya racing by in a motorcade, pop off an email to bush@interwebnet.org.

- Check out the ingenious Oust Bush site.

- Finally, in a bit of a weird segue, I have a pair of tickets to see The Coral at the Brixton Academy on Thursday night, but something tells me I'm not going to be A) in the mood or B) able to get there on time. So if you fancy seeing some fine rock and roll after a good days' demoing and want to buy these off me (£30 for the pair), let me know. I can give them to you at the protest.

New Placards online now

Thanks to Graham, a new set of issue-specific placards is now available as a single PDF (15K) - each placard has its own "page" within the document. Pick one or more that takes your fancy, and follow the instructions here to put your placard(s) together for Thursday, making sure to tell the printers which page you want done.

Protest tonight at Euston

The Stop the War Coalition have asked me if I can ask any of you if you're available tonight to join the public rally in Euston - they'd love to get some of the Americans on board early in the process. Plus there's a fair chance you'll be able to introduce yourself to Ron Kovic, one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

If you have placards already made, all the better!

Details here:
Tuesday 18th November, 7.30pm
Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, opposite Euston BR (nearest tube Euston / Euston Sq).
Speakers: Ron Kovic (Vietnam veteran), Harold Pinter (playwright), George Galloway MP (ex-Labour Party), Tony Benn, John Rees (Stop the War Coalition), Kate Hudson (CND), MAB speaker and Caroline Lucas MEP (Green Party).

I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to make it or not tonight due to possible interviews, but I'll do my best.

Good news and bad news

The good news....
The request to march past Westminster and Whitehall has been granted!

The route is now as follows:

• Malet St
• Russell Square - (Expats Against Bush meet here @ 1PM)
• Southampton Row
• Kingsway
• Aldwych
• Waterloo Bridge
• York Road
• Westminster Bridge
• Parliament Square
• Whitehall
• Trafalgar Square

The BBC have their own map which is slightly incorrect - we're going down Southampton Row, not Bloomsbury.

The bad news....
... is that the headline in today's Guardian is Protests begin but majority backs Bush visit as support for war surges - which is slightly misleading.

It's true, according to the poll more Brits favor the Bush visit than don't (43% for vs 36% against according to the poll) but at the end of the day only 2 out of 5 people are willing to stump up and say that they are definitely in favor of the visit - with 1 out of 5 of people undecided or preferring not to say. Hardly an overwhelming show of confidence. Especially when you add in the usual statistical margin of error, the difference between 43% and 36% is not tremendous.

There's a silver lining to this cloud, though.

The other questions in the poll find that we expats tend to be in step with the British public on a number of fronts. 6 out of 10 see America as a "force for good around the world", which should stick a pin in any arguments from the press in America that all of Europe is a bastion of anti-Americanism.

Nearly half see the Iraq war as justified - now I personally disagree with that statement, but there are a lot of people in Expats Against Bush who are not anti-war per se, and this only serves to underline the fact that we cannot make the war the only issue that we march about.

Nearly 7 out of 10 say we should stay in Iraq to clean up the mess we made, and I for one agree with that wholeheartedly.

Thoughts?

IMPORTANT: Change to meetup location for Thursday's protest

I have been talking with the Stop the War Coalition and they say it's going to be a nightmare on Malet St, and that it would be better for us to assemble somewhere first and then go over as a group to the head of the procession. Therefore, I am changing the meeting point. Hopefully this is not too last-minute for most people to find out, but I am sending a message out on the Yahoo! mailing list just to make sure.

The new meeting point is the Northeast corner of Russell Square at 1PM. By no later than 1:45PM we will move as a group over to the south end of Malet St to join the head of the procession. If you are late, come to the south end of Malet St. If you are later than 2:30 or so it might make more sense for you to head directly for Trafalgar Square as that's where we're heading anyway.

As always, I would encourage you to bookmark this page and sign up for the mailing list to keep up with events as they occur.

Monday report

Thanks to everyone who showed up for yesterday's meet-and-greet, and special thanks to those who subjected themselves to media scrutiny (extra special thanks to Sarah, it must have been hard for you).

We got a number of things accomplished:

• Solicited ideas for alternate issue-specific banners - we should have these as PDFs later on today or early tomorrow
  
• Agreed plan and route for Thursday protests - including great new idea of some of us carrying American flags (thanks Liz)
  
• Signed some folks up for Democrats Abroad (UK) - Thanks Stan
  
• Got lots of you folks talking to the press including CBS News, Algemeen Dagblad (2nd biggest daily newspaper in The Netherlands), LBC Radio, and a documentary crew filming for a doc about the Bush visit
  

In addition, I went to the screening of Born on the 4th of July at the Prince Charles Cinema, which the Stop the War Coalition had so kindly arranged. I got to meet Ron Kovic, who is extremely nice, and quite the speaker. There was a nice mention at the end of the film for Expats Against Bush by Ghada from the Stop the War Coalition, which I am very grateful for - because I picked up a couple of fresh recruits.

More news later. In the meantime, I have posted some pictures from the Thursday and Sunday events for your perusal.

Our Friends in the North

It appears that Our George is heading up North on Friday (21 November). He will be visiting Tony Blair's constituency in Sedgefield, Co. Durham, and having lunch with local constituents. It seems very likely that there will be press there for the photo-op of George and Tony sharing a pint.

Might be a perfect opportunity for any expats (or anyone else) in the North East or Scotland who won't be able to make it to London for Thursday... [Though of course we'd like to keep things to peaceful protest -Luke]

Of course, details are thin on the ground, but Sedgefield isn't that big - a cavalcade of limousines and very conspicous secret service agents will be easy to find. (Look for barbour jackets and wellies, they try to "blend".)

Around lunchtime, then?

Anyone who is interested could make contact through posting here.

That's Not All, Folks

"I can understand people not liking war, if that's what they are there to protest," Bush told reporters in a Washington interview.

No, George, that is not all we are there to protest.

The invasion of Iraq simply heads a long list of complaints. How about Guantanamo Bay, Kyoto, the International Criminal Court, civil rights violations, the naming of CIA operatives (and Bush's disinterest in finding the leak), the obstruction of the 9/11 investigation, the 3.3 million job losses, tax cuts for billionaires, the handing of reconstruction contracts (competition-free) to Halliburton, etc, etc?

At the planning meeting last night, it was agreed that we should not make this solely an anti-war march - we need to let Bush know that there are many, many other things we are angry about.

Also, when this gets attention back home, non-Iraq issues will resonate with a wider audience.

Come to the meeting on Sunday with ideas of issues to put on placards. If you can't make the meeting, put up a post.

Let's make sure everyone knows this president is failing BOTH internally and internationally.

A tale of two visits

A number of articles are now focusing on the parallel series of events which be unfolding over the course of George Bush's visit.

First, the official version (thanks Bob!).

Secondly, the parallel protest agenda.

Sorry to keep this brief, but I'm under deadline.

If the protesters look like the usual suspects...

A colleague pointed out a great Guardian column this morning pertaining to Bush's upcoming visit. One paragraph of note:

If rioters on heat, rather than a president on horseback, is the defining image of the visit, won't that be a failure? Not necessarily. So long as the protesters look like the usual suspects - multiply pierced, Genoa-style activists in torn clothes and mohican haircuts - then, I'm told, the White House will not worry. They will be able to say Bush enjoys the global support of all but a few anarchist weirdos. If the demonstrators look like the UK equivalent of America's "soccer moms", regular people of all ages, including plenty of women - tricky to bring out on a weekday - then Washington may have to rethink.

Exactly.

I want us to be Soccer Moms. I want some "normal" Americans out there to show the world that we're here, but more importantly to show people back home that these protests aren't just the "usual suspects". There will be regular everyday Americans (you guys!) leading this march, and you can't just write the protests off on that basis.

That's why, the more people you can get together for next Thursday, the more powerful a message we will send back home. It's your responsibity, and mine, to make sure that Bush does not draw strength from his visit here. I want a peaceful, respectful protest from everyday Americans to send a message.

So call your friends, get them to come down, print out some placards, and hold them high!

November 20th Anti-Bush march (Updated Wednesday November 19th)

NOON Thursday November 20th: Main Anti-Bush March to Trafalgar Square (Russell Square)
IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Please pay attention as the plan has been slightly altered (again) at the request of the Stop the War Coalition.

I still want you to come to the Northeast corner of Russell Square, but we need you there earlier than 1PM if possible. If there's any way you can be there by 12 noon that would be ideal. An Expats Against Bush steward should be there to give you further instructions.

The reason for this change is that Stop the War have now requested that some of us be available at the head of the procession from 12 noon onwards for press purposes. The more of us, the better. So, when you get to Russell Square, ask the EAB steward (identified by holding an EAB placard) where you should go - they will have the latest information.

The EAB Steward will only be there until 1:30 or so, at which point he/she will proceed to join the rest of the EAB folks at the head of the procession. The actual procession will set off at or around 2PM along the march route.

If you get to Russell Square later than 1:30PM, or generally have any questions or concerns, then call one of our stewards for the latest information:

Angelique 0796 625 3211
Sarah 0781 293 8767
Graham 0797 660 1193

If none of those work, you can call me (Luke) on 0771 512 0153 - though please try to keep my line free for emergencies etc.

If all else fails (the much-mooted total mobile network meltdown for instance) - go through to Malet St and find the head of the procession, which should be at the south end.

Now, a couple of points.

- In case of any trouble breaking out, get as far away from the trouble as possible. If it looks like the police are disbanding the protest, especially in Trafalgar Square or on Whitehall, then make your way to the southwest corner of Leicester Square and we'll regroup there. If in doubt, contact one of the stewards.

- If anything dodgy starts going down, such as anti-American displays (flag burning and the lot) try to distance yourself from it. We don't want to be photographed with any of that sort of thing!

- If the press approaches you, please direct them to me or, if you know who they are, one of our other press people. We've got the soundbites ready to go, and will do the best job communicating the reason behind the march.

The route is now as follows:

• Malet St
• Russell Square - (Expats Against Bush meet here @ 1PM)
• Southampton Row
• Kingsway
• Aldwych
• Waterloo Bridge
• York Road
• Westminster Bridge
• Parliament Square
• Whitehall
• Trafalgar Square

The BBC have their own map which is slightly incorrect - we're going down Southampton Row, not Bloomsbury.

Look for the main banners saying "Proud of my Country, Shamed of my President", and also the new issue-specific banners. If you can, it would help if you followed the directions below to bring a banner of your own and a spare one if you can swing it!

Also, if you have (or can acquire) an American flag, and would feel comfortable displaying and flying it, that would be great! The more we can reinforce the fact that we love our country whilst wanting to get rid of Bush, the better.

We will be at the head of the entire procession of between 70 to 100,000 people, so the more of you show up, the better it looks for all of us!

Sign up to the mailing list for updates to make sure you stay in the loop!

Pre-march activity - sign up for updates!

I hope that all of you will come along to the pre-march meeting on this Sunday the 16th upstairs at the All Bar One in Leicester Square, where we will get to know each other and discuss plans for the big day. I know, the All Bar One isn't my favorite place either, but it's central, easy to find and shouldn't be too rammed on a Sunday afternoon. It's also well-placed for the screening of Born on the Fourth of July which is being hosted by the UK Stop the War Coalition and will be MC'd by the man himself, Ron Kovic. That's at 5PM up the road at the Prince Charles Cinema right off Leicester Square.

If you think you can make it on Sunday, please drop me a line here so I can get an idea of numbers.

Also, some of you have expressed concern about the Yahoo! group and its posting policy, and uptake has been pretty slow. After some thought, I have now disabled member posting to the group, and I will be the only one able to send messages to the mailing list. You can rest assured you will not get spam through this group, nor will you get more than 1-2 emails a week from me (aside from possibly next week for obvious reasons). I will be using the Yahoo! group as a glorified mailing list to send out updates on our protest plans.

Contrary to appearances, you do not already have to have a Yahoo! account to join the group - all you need to do is send a blank email using your everyday email address to expatsagainstbush-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and you will be on the mailing list. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time. This link is now in the Protest section on the right hand side of the site as well.

I urge anyone who's planning to attend the meeting and the march to sign up for the group, to ensure that you have the latest information on our plans, which could change hour by hour if the press reports are anything to go by.

Tony to protesters: Put war arguments aside

Yesterday Tony Blair's annual foreign policy speech at the Guildhall ended up mostly addressing the mounting concern over Bush's impending visit and the ensuing political, security and economic impact it will have.

The Guardian quotes Mr Blair as saying:

"I say to those who will protest when President Bush comes: protest if you will. That is your democratic right.[...]But accept that the task now is not to argue about what has been, but to make what is happening now work, and work for the very Iraqis we all say we want to help."

I disagree. You can't protest the situation as it now stands without addressing how we got in this situation. And this situation was directly caused by George Bush and his administration being determined to go to war in Iraq, come hell or high water. We can't welcome Bush with open arms and give him a free pass. If we don't raise the issue of "what has been", who will?

It might prove interesting in time that Blair felt the need to reassure us that it is our democratic right to protest. There has been a lot of chatter about the US security services wanting to fence off large swathes of central London for Bush's visit, and implement the same "protest quarantine" they've used whenever Bush has gone out in America. It seems our Mayor Ken Livingston is on the opposite side, insisting to the Metropolitan police "The view was expressed that a legitimate protest must be facilitated." Blair has been caught in the middle, and interestingly it looks as though he is edging towards Ken's position. Could this be a sign of Blair's aggravation at the Bush team's demands? Time will tell...

Leaflet online for November 20th march

Just FYI, I came up with an A4 leaflet which lays out the case for marching against Bush and provides full details of how to get involved.

You UK readers, please download this, print out a few dozen and hand it out wherever Americans might be found - especially university Student Unions and Yank-friendly bars, or expat candidate-support meetups. Another group had the great idea of handing out material at the Michael Moore gigs that are happening around the country starting from today; I think that's a great idea. I can't make the London Palladium shows tonight or the Brixton Academy show on Friday due to prior commitments, but if you want to volunteer to flier either of these shows (or the other ones midweek in Glasgow on Tuesday and Liverpool/Manchester on Wednesday) I will make sure you get a mention on the site.

Sorry it's in MS Word; my Acrobat converter has gone south on me.

NY Times on security plans for Bush's visit

News of the impending security / PR fiasco that awaits the Bush team in London in two weeks' time has bubbled up into the New York Times and the Associated Press. And I have a funny feeling there's going to be a lot more press coverage up to and including the protests on the 20th...

(Thanks to Tim @ Bloggerheads, firstly for driving some traffic here with some extremely complimentary linkage recently, and secondarily for calling my attention to this article)

Picking up steam

We're starting to get some real press interest in the site and the group now; it's fascinating to watch how the word is spreading. Of course, the more people that know about us the better, and I reckon after the protest against Bush's state visit on the 20th of this month, a lot more people are going to know about all of you Expats Against Bush.

By the way, as promised, I've started up a Yahoo! Group so that you can sign up and receive email updates from myself and others who are getting involved all over the world. All messages are moderated by me so they will be kept on-topic, and you can choose to receive emails as they come, daily, monthly or whatever period you like. There aren't going to be many messages at all for the first few weeks until this site finds its feet properly.

You can subscribe using the link above.

November 20th Update

Hi all,

Just to let you know that I spoke with the Stop the War Coalition yesterday, and it was a very encouraging conversation. I can't go into much detail until things are hammered out, but let me assure you that those of you who are coming to London to participate in the protest will have a very prominent position in the demonstrations. The Stop the War folks are eager to show that they have no quarrel with the American people, and having Americans prominently featured in the demonstration will go a long way to help in that regard.

Just for your records, we will be meeting on Malet St, just north of the British Museum, at 2PM on Thursday November 20th, and marching down to Trafalgar Square. Further details of specific meeting points on the day will be provided soon.

Also, there will be a pre-protest meeting on Sunday the 16th of November at 2PM in the West End (venue to be confirmed) ahead of the Stop the War screening of "Born on the 4th of July" with special guest Ron Kovic, who is flying to London to participate in the protests.

I will also be starting up a Yahoo! Group mailing list today, and will post details of that later.

First poster is up

My thanks out to one of our fellow expats who shall remain nameless, who has created this brilliant protest poster for the November 20th demo against Bush's State Visit. It's a great start, and I'm looking forward to seeing many more as time goes by!

Update on plans for November 20th Anti-Bush protest

Hi all you expat Yanks,

Just to let you know that plans are proceeding apace for Expats Against Bush to participate in the planned November 20th protest in London during Bush's State Visit. I have had a number of people write in to express interest in joining the protest action.

This week I will announce details of a meeting place and time for the demo on the 20th, and possibly a pre-meeting next week as well.

I am coordinating design and production of placards for use in the demonstrations that will clearly identify us as expat Americans who are unhappy with Bush having the red carpet rolled out for him. Of course, the placards will say that a bit more succinctly. At this point it looks like the main placard idea will be the one I proposed initially:

I AM AMERICAN
I AM ASHAMED

With an ExpatsAgainstBush.org logo along the top and bottom. I have already had several kind offers of DTP/Graphic Design help and will be taking some of you up on those offers.

If you have any more ideas to add to the placard designs that have already been suggested, let us know!

Stay tuned here for an announcement in the next couple of days!

Antiwar movement chaos

A sure-to-be-controversial piece in Salon [subscription] today on the antiwar movement and its self-destructive nature:

The rally was just the latest example of liberal confusion and mixed messages over postwar Iraq, as progressives try to figure out how to oppose Bush's policies in a way that doesn't punish the Iraqi people for the administration's mendacity. Angry at the way Iraq's reconstruction has turned into a bonanza for Bush's corporate cronies, powerful Democrats along with some Republicans have tried to block grants to rebuild Iraq, and progressive groups have adopted nativist arguments insisting that Americans' money should be spent in America. What's lost in such reasoning, of course, is any sympathy for beleaguered Iraqis, whose misfortune it was to live under Saddam Hussein, and be liberated by a president who lied to his own people and alienated the world.

This is a refreshingly candid look at the current state of the antiwar movement. Now that the war is "over" at least in terms of the conquest phase, the makeup of the antiwar movement (as measured by the protesters) has changed, apparently shifting from Joe Public to Stalinist Sue and Anarchist Amy.

I personally don't think we just just up stakes and leave Iraq. That is just not viable. We made the mess, it's up to us to clean it up. We have to face facts, we are running an Occupation. Even if (please America) Bush is thrown out on his ear next year, whoever succeeds him will still have to deal with an American presence in Iraq. That's simply all there is to it. Even if the UN steps in in a significant way, it's still our mess.

But we don't have to like it. And we can't let Bush forget he's the one that got us into this mess.

I have to admit (much to my chagrin) I didn't get involved in the antiwar protests in London back before the war - partly due to laziness and/or scheduling conflicts, to be sure. But I also had a sense of unease at sharing a platform with some of the groups that fell (and presumably still fall) under the antiwar umbrella. I wanted to express my extreme disapproval of the war, but at the same time I didn't want to pick up the paper and see a picture of me standing next to someone burning an American flag or carrying the slogan of some totally irrelevant (to an anti-war protest) activist group.

I've always felt that progressive protests shoot themselves in the foot to one degree or another by not staying on-message and by encouraging every radical with a bongo drum and a whistle to join in the "fun", whether or not it actually advances the cause. I was impressed with the massive antiwar protests in London because it was the everyday man and woman that came out to march, rather than the "professional protesters" that will show up to any progressive protest regardless of the protest's goals. What does Joe Public think when he sees the same group of shrill, screeching radicals show up at every demo? He might actually agree with the message of the protest, but as soon as he sees the Professional Demonstrator he thinks "f*cking hippies" and turns the channel in disgust.

Everyone's obviously entitled to their way of protest, don't get me wrong. When CNN reports that 100,000 people march on Hyde Park or on DC, I suppose the makeup of the protesters doesn't matter that much. But there's no denying that the progressive movement suffers from regular and predictable PR problems. I mean, for Pete's sake, how does International ANSWER, the group behind the protests covered in the Salon article, think it's going to get across to the mainstream public when it's sponsored by the Stalinist Workers Party? That ain't gonna fly.

Now where does that leave us? Well I for one am still going to march against Bush in November, no matter what the placards and banners around me say. My conscience demands it. But I will do so in a manner which best represents my status as an Expat Against Bush: calm, reasoned and purposeful. I hope other expat Americans will join me.

No doubt there will be people marching alongside us whose messages we may not completely agree with. Politics (and protests) make strange bedfellows. You can only represent yourself at the end of the day, just make sure it's done in a way that you're able to live with years down the line. And make sure you're marching for the right cause, and for the right reasons.

UPDATE

Since I first posted this, I've seen this post on the Belligerent Bunny Blog. While I totally disagree with much of Anna's conclusions and it's pretty clear we wouldn't get along politically, you can see the kind of foolishness I was talking about above. It's possible that a backlash against progressive demos could come out of images like this. That's not what anyone wants.

An old family friend wrote to say:

We dealt with that constantly during Vietnam. A half million people could march, and the media focused on the twenty people snake dancing and screaming through the crowd beneath a Soviet Union flag. Still, once you start limiting people's access to demos, you set up ridiculous problems. They end up sniping at you (this back when that meant bad words not bullets), claiming you don't believe in free speech etc., and the conservative columnists leap on that. And they legitimately claim, why do you keep me out and let them in? All you can do is hope that most people get the message about the majority of demonstators, and not the loud and colorful few.

Wanted: Poster and Banner ideas

Over the next couple of weeks ExpatsAgainstBush.org will be creating some banners and posters in downloadable PDF form that will be suitable for use in antiwar and other protests.

We have quite a few ideas down already, but we would appreciate any suggestions as to slogans that would be appropriate for banners or posters. We're looking for short, sharp statements that convey that we are American and we're not happy with Bush.

For instance:

I AM AMERICAN
I AM ASHAMED

Any ideas will be gratefully considered.

November 20th: London protest against Bush state visit

On November 19th-21st, George Bush will be in the UK on the first official State Visit of a sitting President of the United States in the 52 years that Queen Elizabeth has sat on the throne. He will stay in Buckingham Palace, and the red carpet will surely be rolled out for him - but only inside the gates of the Palace.

Outside the gates, which he likely won't pass through on the ground, will be turmoil. Bush himself will be arriving (and presumably departing) via helicopter, and will in typical fashion be shielded from any negative protest actions or hostile crowds. In fact, not only has the once-mooted triumphal motorcade down the Mall been canceled due to fears of a massive PR disaster, but a visit to the House of Commons has also been ruled out for fear that the Blair government can't even trust his own party's MPs not to cause a disruption. Classic.

What will happen is a massive Stop Bush protest in London on the 20th of November, which is being organized by the folks at the UK Stop the War coalition. You will recall their very successful large-scale protests in the runup to the Iraq war, which saw an unprecedented groundswell of everyday people coming out to voice their displeasure at the unfolding events.

I want a visible American expatriate presence in the Stop Bush protest. I have talked to the Stop the War folks and they are happy for us to come on board. I will be making up placards and other materials to identify us as Americans, so that we can show the world that we are here and we are unhappy. We have been under-represented so far, but we need to start standing up and getting organized.

This is an open call for protesters for November 20th. If you're in London or can get to London, you're American, and you want to stand up and be counted, get in touch!