Farce

Someone mentioned on facebook yesterday that there would be an anti-G20 demo in Osaka. I read a news article that this would be one of the biggest demos in Osaka. Since Arthur was at school and Kazuko and Valerie were in Kyoto, I thought, "Why not?"

When I arrived at the park (one hour ahead of time, admittedly) there were about ten old age pensioners setting up flags and passing out flyers. Getting sinking feeling already. By 1 pm, the start time for the demo, that number had swelled to an impressive ........ 200! Most of them were pensioners, plus a few people who seemed to have been given day release from a care home for the mentally retarded.

After about one hour of speeches in the park, the march began. I think the marchers were outnumbered by the media and the police. Really embarrassing! 

The march ended across the bay from where the G-20 Summit is currently being held. After our pathetic 200 demonstrators yelled our defiance at the G-20 leaders who were probably having a good laugh at our feeble protest - if they even noticed us at all - three demonstrators protesting about the plight of Hong Kong citizens being extradited to China gave a short speech. Then one of them - the twit in the photograph - leaped into the bay. A police patrol boat came over and threw him a life ring, which action caused some of the demonstrators to yell insults at the police! Idiots! As if it was the police's fault; they were just trying to help, after all.

As my friend John said, who I met at the rally and who took the photo of me in the extra, if you are going to make a gesture, make it where it is going to make a difference, such as blocking traffic or train lines, not in a bay where nobody cares (and where there were no life rings for anybody to throw for help.) Also, why organise a demo on a Friday afternoon when everybody is working, protesting against a summit which has already started? 

A very sorry shambles. On the way back to the station I chatted with one of the news cameramen and said, "Sorry, you must have got bored photographing the same 200 people over and over again." He said he did, especially as three days ago he was filming the protests in Hong Kong and having things thrown at him by the police.

 "That was fun," he said. I bet!

Why give orders? Why make speeches? Give me a reason to die.