Monday, March 21, 2011

Protest scheduled - hey, it's a new cause - get new signs

Inside the story of Japan earthquake aftermath is this gem:
The crisis has galvanized Japan’s anti-nuclear groups, and an estimated 1,000 people rallied near Olympic Stadium in Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park on Sunday, then marched into the heart of the Shibuya shopping district, chanting: “Stop all nuclear power!”

The protest was initially organized by labor union officials to oppose the Iraq war, but it gained momentum in the aftermath of the earthquake as a platform to vent anger about the government’s nuclear energy policies and a failure to provide food and gasoline to victims.
The crowd was mostly composed of middle-age protesters, many affiliated with labor unions, along with university students who came from as far as Hiroshima in the south and Miyagi prefecture in the north. It was a motley coalition of causes, but the main rallying cry was to get relief to stricken areas. The rally included speeches by anti-nuclear and antiwar activists. As the group marched, protesters blew whistles, beat drums and waved flags and signs that said “No Nukes” and “Unite Workers to Help Victims.” They shouted “Get Kan out!” — a reference to Prime Minister Naoto Kan — and chanted, “No food, no gas is reaching the shelters!”

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