First off, there's no actual vitriol against Obama himself as far as I can tell. Obama is well-liked in England, perhaps even more so than Bill Clinton and J.F.K before him.
As world leaders gather for Thursday's G-20 Summit in London, unprecedented protests are rocking the city. Bankers have been warned to dress casually. Luxury hotels are securing their perimeters for attacks.
As I type, I have CNN on in the background. The headline "Anger in the Streets" is beneath images of protesters breaking windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland (one of Britain's bailed-out banks). I think bricks were thrown. A Mercedes S600 parked in the driveway has been vandalized. The headline of London's Evening Standard reads "Violence Sweeps the City on Obama's Big Day".
A group calling itself "G-20 Meltdown" has organized a number of these protests. According to their website, they're calling for an end to capitalism:
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Capitalism has been heating up our world for years, melting the icecaps, burning up the rainforests, pushing the planet to tipping point. Now we're going to put the heat on them. At the London Summit , the G20 ministers are trying to get away with the biggest April Fools trick of all time. Their tax-dodging, bonus-guzzling, pension-pinching, unregulated free market world's in meltdown, and those fools think we're going to bail them out. They've gotta be joking!
We can't pay, we won't pay and we are taking to the streets
At 12 noon, April 1st, we're going to reclaim the City, thrusting into the very belly of the beast: the Bank of England.
Early a.m. April 2nd, we're going to bang on their hotel doors, @ the Excel Centre, Canning town to deliver our message of a world beyond capitalism.
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Amidst all this queen, the Queen has granted Barack and Michelle a private audience, which is unusual since she does this mainly for state visits only. Obama is traveling with about 200 limo-ed "security agents" according to the BBC. London has provided additional security surrounding Buckingham Palace and Parliament.
It would be nice if a few of LPSG's british posters could give a first-hand account of what's going on in the city and what the protesters wish to achieve. And what the attitude is surrounding the Obama's visit with the queen.
As world leaders gather for Thursday's G-20 Summit in London, unprecedented protests are rocking the city. Bankers have been warned to dress casually. Luxury hotels are securing their perimeters for attacks.
As I type, I have CNN on in the background. The headline "Anger in the Streets" is beneath images of protesters breaking windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland (one of Britain's bailed-out banks). I think bricks were thrown. A Mercedes S600 parked in the driveway has been vandalized. The headline of London's Evening Standard reads "Violence Sweeps the City on Obama's Big Day".
A group calling itself "G-20 Meltdown" has organized a number of these protests. According to their website, they're calling for an end to capitalism:
--------------------
Capitalism has been heating up our world for years, melting the icecaps, burning up the rainforests, pushing the planet to tipping point. Now we're going to put the heat on them. At the London Summit , the G20 ministers are trying to get away with the biggest April Fools trick of all time. Their tax-dodging, bonus-guzzling, pension-pinching, unregulated free market world's in meltdown, and those fools think we're going to bail them out. They've gotta be joking!
We can't pay, we won't pay and we are taking to the streets
At 12 noon, April 1st, we're going to reclaim the City, thrusting into the very belly of the beast: the Bank of England.
Early a.m. April 2nd, we're going to bang on their hotel doors, @ the Excel Centre, Canning town to deliver our message of a world beyond capitalism.
--------------------
Amidst all this queen, the Queen has granted Barack and Michelle a private audience, which is unusual since she does this mainly for state visits only. Obama is traveling with about 200 limo-ed "security agents" according to the BBC. London has provided additional security surrounding Buckingham Palace and Parliament.
It would be nice if a few of LPSG's british posters could give a first-hand account of what's going on in the city and what the protesters wish to achieve. And what the attitude is surrounding the Obama's visit with the queen.