UK Citizens: Vote for Trade Justice

On Sunday 26th September, thousands of UK citizens came together on the opening day of the Labour Party conference to demand the Government ends global poverty. At 1pm in the afternoon, in the beautiful beach of Brighton outside the conference, campaigners held up their eye-catching banners written “Vote for Trade Justice” to make their voice against unfair trade rules heard by the nation.

The campaign was organised by the Trade Justice Movement (TJM). The campaigners were from over 50 TJM member organisations, including the Church of England, Baptist Union, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Tearfund, World Vision, ChristianAid, Oxfam and Greenpeace, among others represent a total of 9 million members.

The campaigners have high expectations of this campaign as the UK government will be hosting the G8 meeting of the world’s most powerful countries and holding the presidency of the EU in 2005. The success of the campaign can be greatly contributed in eradicating world poverty.

With the crowd assembled in front of the conference centre on Madeira Drive, the time for the mass moment came at 3:15pm. Pushpanath Krishnamurthy of Oxfam led the demonstrators in making noise during the two minutes of noise outside the Brighton conference centre.

Krishnamurthy shouted, “They know we are coming here today to make some noise, so that’s what we’ve got to do! When I we say ‘Trade Justice’, you shout ‘Now!’”

After two minutes of silence, 8000 people were banging empty pans, blowing whistles and trumpets, clapping, stamping feet and screaming. For two minutes, they clearly proclaimed their aim, “Trade Justice NOW!”

Campaigners spent the rest of the day in the evening extravaganza with speakers, music, poets and performers. This was commented on as the biggest Trade Justice Event in 2004 so far.