After the Westminster Cathedral Mass yesterday, I took a stroll up Whitehall, passing a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph. At Trafalgar Square, there was a large police presence and the sound of a distant megaphone, indicating that the Protest the Pope demo was on its way.
I managed to get across to Trafalgar Square itself and was quite close to the march as it passed along. One of the sidekicks of Peter Tatchell's Outrage section was not too pleased to see a Catholic priest at the kerb.
Many of the placards bore a striking resemblance to the SWP trademark 2x1 stick with standard lettering and footer. (I wonder if they are by any chance related.) Here is one of the more thoughtful ones, though perhaps a little puzzling for the average passer-by:
Naturally, the smelly socks brigade included a few clowns with blown-up condoms:
And the intellectual level of debate was what we might expect:
I'm not sure that the marxists among the crowd would necessarily approve of this reference which rather misses the point of Karl's famous saying:
After seeing the Holy Father drive up Constitution Hill in the popemobile, I made my way on to Hyde Park Corner where the Muslims were in full voice. The copper in the front of this picture was a little concerned at my leading a group of papal flag-waving pilgrims in shouting Viva il Papa! thought our right to free speech was properly respected.
13 comments:
Is it just me or is that sign referencing " microscopic lifeforms that reside in all living cells" not just quoting Star Wars? (the embarrassing midichlorians that were supposed to explain 'the force')
"There is no God and I can quote George Lucas to prove it". Kind of explains how Scientology could exist.
Odd to see such a large crowd of all WHITE people in central London!
I wonder how many of these people would be willing to protest an Iman?
"One of the sidekicks of Peter Tatchell's Outrage section was not too pleased to see a Catholic priest at the kerb."
Good for you, Father! You have nothing to fear!
You have to admit, the placard inscribed with "ROMANI ITE DOMUM" (Romans go home) is clever.
You're a braver man than me - I made a conscious effort to avoid these poor souls.
I'm glad you took the photos, though, and I liked your comments! These "Protest the Pope" characters obviously don't realise how deluded they are!
A friend of mine, who isn't Catholic but who comes to Mass, was given a ticket for the prayer vigil at Hyde Park. I met up with him afterwards, and he told me that he saw the Muslim protesters. He's not easily shocked, but told me he had never come across such hated and bile before. He said that their protest was "frightening."
As a Science teacher, I want to know what the "microscopic life forms found in all living cells" are...
...given that cells are the smallest unit of life form we know...
;-P
RE picture 6...
"There is no God, it's just a load of microscopic lifeforms in all living cells"
Eh???
I note that one placard exhorts "Romani ite domum". Isn't that an incitement to racial hatred? Imagine it had said "Africani ite domum".
As I left Bellahouston Park on Thursday evening I came across the Protest the Pope crowd - if you can call seven a crowd.
A colleague who was in Princes St saw a placard proclaiming F**K THE POPE (a sentiment audibly expressed throughout the Manchester Utd v Rangers match the previous evening). When he complained to a policeman about it he was told that the bearer had a legitimate right to protest. Kind of missing the point.
Have those atheist/pro-homosexual protestors no shame? To be in the same crowd as those who support terrorism, should surely make one think twice.
Infantile abuse is all these so-called "rational humanists" can comwe up with.
Sad, really.
Clever? Not so clever, perhaps. Incitement? Maybe - but "Africani ite domum" just wouldn't be the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIAdHEwiAy8
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