White House 'wants central London exclusion zone' for Bush visit

[emad]

The UK's BBC News reports that Stop the War Coalition protestors are warning that radical security measures being demanded by the Bush administration ahead of next week's official state visit mean huge disruption for Londoners as well as the creation of a ghetto-like zone so that protestors will not be seen in the vicinity of the president:

<snip>:

Campaign spokesman John Rees told BBC London: "It seems as if they (the police) are going to comply with the White House's request to create an exclusion zone in central London during George Bush's visit.
And they have told the Stop the War Coalition they won't agree to a route that goes through Parliament Square or Whitehall."

<snip>:

Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North and a Stop the War activist, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We've had long discussions with the police and one gets the feeling that there is a bigger hand somewhere that is trying to prevent a march going along Whitehall and past Parliament Square. The Americans are actually running the security operation in London as well... I'm getting a bit alarmed about the degree of invasion of our capital by the Americans. The idea of closing off large parts of London to ensure that President Bush is taken well away from any protests or demonstrators seems a little insensitive and an enormous inconvenience to an awful lot of people."

<snip>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3259005.stm


So, the Bigger Hand doesn't want the hoi polloi from yelling in their own streets at him.

A coward who can't even step foot in Iraq after invading it is nevertheless comfortable to pollute the streets of London with his presence.

[La_Serpiente]

1. I hope that the protesters

shut down the entire city of London. I expect (no, I do not want them to, but I predict this) they will destroy all the NikeTowns and McDonalds in London. No wonder multi-nationals are scared.

[Matilda]

4. This has all gone too far.

If they know the man is so hated, why the hell is he going there?
It's time to call the whole thing off.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Bet the protestors are heard anyway

If there are MPs who are in Stop the War, you know there are MPs that just don't like Bush. If nothing else, I bet they do some sort of protest in Parliament, like the Green Senators did in Australia. And if they do keep the protestors away from Bush, my guess is that the BBC, unlike our networks, will cover the protests extensively. And the average Londoner is going to be really ticked off if he can't go around town the way he wants to, and that's sure to get press as well.

Wonder if Bush will have to import some freepers from across the pond to stand and cheer him?

[emad]

8. I've had one or two run ins with 'Republicans Abroad'

who appear to be the main cheerleaders gunning for this 'state visit'. What a bunch of denial freaks and propaganda scumbags. Especially those chummy with Sarah Sharpe Farish, wife of top shurubman W Stamps Farish III.

Some of them walk their pooches in Regents Park near the ambassadorial Residence. The other day I saw a group of them giving directions to some oriental tourists who wanted to know what the building was for. And then proceeded to tell them the best places to line up next week to see the presidential motorcade as it heads for Buck House. Morons. One of them even said that if they waited long enough in the Outer Circle they would see the car of the ambassador himself! Wow! I very nearly salivated at the thought...that anyone might actually want to come thousands of miles from Osaka or Kyoto to stand in the fog and rain in Regents Park just to get a glimpse of the BFEE bagman (or 'blind trust portfoilio manager' as he used to be called when Poppy was in the WH) as his limo slimes past. Imagine!....


Hope they tell him not to go anywhere near the Honourable Artillery Company when it fires its 41 gun salute in Hyde Park - they might just turn those cannons around in a direction other than the officially sanctioned one....

[Hubert Flottz]

18. LMAO!

"Wonder if Bush will have to import some freepers from across the pond to stand and cheer him?"

They don't allow Terra-ists on airplanes!

[hang a left]

21. Yeah, maybe he could get ALL 6 of the freepers who staged

their protest across the street from Al Gore's speech on Sunday to tag along.

It would be fun to see those 6 people with their signs anywhere near the Peace Protesters.

[alunharford]

36. Not just in "Stop the War"

I'm sure some MPs would shoot him if they got given half a chance. It would certainly boost their ratings, that's for sure.

[newyawker99]

39. Hi alunharford!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Wink]

3. Our newest export

We used to export democracy, freedom, rights, and free enterprise. Now we export hammers to break all the world's mirrors so the emperor won't notice his nakedness.

[dofus]

12. What a great line!

"We used to export democracy, freedom, rights, and free enterprise. Now we export hammers to break all the world's mirrors so the emperor won't notice his nakedness."

I'm only sorry it's a bit wordy, and perhaps somewhat obscure, to put on a bumper sticker. But I have forwarded it to several friends of mine. Thanks.

[Wink]

34. Thank you.

[leesa]

32. Good one. What a shameful thing our Resident is.

[Kellanved]

5. he got that in Berlin

shut the whole city down for two days. He had a suite in the Adlon Hotel (the Grenade and BC protected Suite there; President's Suite) a few meters from the Brandenburg gate.

[kayell]

6. Wait til this happens here on this scale

* may not have felt the need to do this in DC yet, since he can always retreat to the pig farm or Camp David, but sooner or later, he'll want to set up exclusion zones everywhere. After all, "free speech is a wonderful thing", but only if it knows it's place.

Edited to add "on this scale" as I am well aware of *s "free speech zones".

[Gman]

7. More "Who cares what you think?"

I was wondering if this would come up.

[Hieronymus]

9. This is the height of arrogance

displayed by the White House. It's been made very clear by many in London that Shrub is NOT welcome. Already, junior has been denied his carriage ride with the Queen.
I keep thinking of a recent episode of MI-5, in which Shrub visited London. It was incredible, in that show, how overbearing the White House was. Unfortunately since junior has been sqatting in our White House this is how most of the world feels about him.:crazy:

[shirlden]

10. Exporting American style democracy

to our Mother Country. The gifts of the Shrub misadmin just keep on giving and giving. They will not be satisfied until they have closed down freedom in all the free countries of the world.
Well, they can't blame this one on Clinton, he was mobbed by adoring crowds all over Europe. I do hope our Brit cousins are outraged by this.

:argh:

[Dead_Parrot]

11. Oh, great.

So we've brought freedom to the Iraqis, blah blah blah, but our own has dropped straight down the toilet. <sigh> Someone give him another pretzel, please.

[RC]

13. The exclusion zone is a great idea!

Create an exclusion zone in central London just before George Bush's visit and then when he is inside the building, rescind the order and let the people in. :evilgrin:

He does need a taste of reality, don't cha think?

[emad]

17. That's what Thatcher did during the Falklands War:

Set up an exclusion zone. Then when the Argentine warship the General Belgrano entered it, gave orders for the Brits to blast the shit out of it, which they did ......once it was safely out of the zone, retreating back home.

Personally, I'd prefer if Customs & Excise just busted him at Heathrow airport, searched his baggage for weapons of mass destruction (ok, maybe just the cocaine) confiscated his passport and locked him up in the quarantine section of the dangerous dogs slammer that they reserve for possible rabies carriers

[ClintonTyree]

14. I doubt............

the Brits will take his lying down. They seem much more politically atuned than we Yanks. I'm willing to bet that there is significant civil disobedience at this event.

[FlashHarry]

15. They're gravely mistaken if they think this'll work.

The UK won't stand for that, believe me.

[matcom]

16. I am sorry because this isn't going to be a popular statement

they have taken away our streets here in the US. now they are taking the streets away from Londoners.

know what? if we no longer have "the street" to claim our own and excercise our free speech, then those streets that were once ours have to burn.

burn them down if they aren't ours anymore. fuck it. this shit has GOT to stop.

take them back by any means necessary

*flame away*

[Mountainman]

20. You would have been real busy in the sixties

One of the chants was "burn baby burn"

[KAZ]

22. There are alot of us sitting here, seething, feeling the same way..

...but soemhow I think we should redirect those energies towards ousting the little prick next year.

[matcom]

24. problem is, the precedent has been set

don't think the patriot act is going bye bye any time soon. even IF that prick is ousted from office.

it will take YEARS (maybe decades) to erase that garbage.

i am afraid we will HAVE to burn the streets before it will end.

[liberalmuse]

26. I think we should right now begin to disregard

these 'exclusion' or 'free speech' zones and break down the barriers. I'm willing to get clubbed, gassed and jailed in order to stop this nonsense. They set up these ridiculous areas, and we just stand in them. It's unConstitutional. Eff that! If the a-hole can't deal with knowing what the real people think of him, then he should not be 'representing' us.

[emad]

27. Maybe it's not terrorists that asshole is afraid of but honest

British people who can tell a crook a mile off

[JohnOneillsMemory]

43. Yup. Dressed as Minute Men, revolutionary garb, lots of flags.

The protests need to be telegenic theater that looks like a recreation of American Revolutionaries vs. the Crown.

I've posted before the idea of acting out the Second American Revolution on King George's ass. Imagine the impact on TV Nation and the media, all kinds of hooks to get across the message that this is patriotic.

[Hubert Flottz]

28. MISTER SHRUB TEAR DOWN THOSE WALLS!

Why don't Bush jog to McDonalds like Bill Clinton did every day?

[ze_dscherman]

19. I want an exclusion zone for Bush, not only in Central London

Let him whack weed at the pig ranch.
Forever.

[liberalmuse]

23. I have an idea...

why not just put Bush inside a bullet-proof bubble just and roll him around? That way, most of the world wouldn't have to be inconvenienced by these silly 'exclusion' zones. This is so humiliating.

[Buns_of_Fire]

41. Maybe the Vatican would be willing to rent out the Popemobile

:think:

[qb]

25. You wanna bet Halliburton gets the contract for the chain link fences?

[tom_paine]

29. King George returns to England!

So, this is what it would have been like if Hitler had gone on a "diplomatic mission" to England in 1938...

King George will get his exclusion zone, like the Totalitarian he is.

The only operative question here is what what the Brits are going to do about it? Will you continue what you have been doing, and shame your Amerikan cousins across the sea by teaching us how a Free People respond to Totalitarianism on their shores.

We didn't respond during the Attempted Coup of 1998 or the Bloodless Coup of 2000, and now we are no longer technically free, though Tyranny has not yet trickled down to the masses quite yet (Thank God for this twilight, which will probably not last much longer).

[Gin]

30. Boo! Shame on you chicken shits in the white house...

You stuff fear down our throats...but when "you" feel a bit of it...
you hermetially seal yourselves off.

[Dover]

38. Maybe they'll be inspired to dig a moat around Crawford...n/t

.

[Malva Zebrina]

31. Do you think anyone of Bush's sycophants

have told him how the British people want to welcome him? I bet not. Just keep telling the stupid naked emperor what a nice suit he is wearing I bet.

[Jacobin]

33. If anyone needs to be excluded from London its AWOL and his

fifty armored cars and zillion body guards and food tasters and the rest of his dastardly crew of sycophants and hangers on.

England remembers its unpopular kings and has experience in overthrowing them.

AWOL's appearance will be hauntingly similar to an unpopular king of yore.

This should be very very interesting.

[Arugula Latte]

35. You know things are bad

when an american "president" can't even visit LONDON without massive protests and disruption, fer chrissakes.

Despite what your snobby, bitchy mommy taught you, Georgie Boy, the world is not your toilet to shit upon at will.

I want a real president, one who makes us proud, one who represents the best of our country rather than the worst, instead of this pathetic joke we're stuck with.

[Dover]

37. Bush is the BUBBLE BOY. Can't share the same space or air with

regular folks. It is a bit satisfying to know that THEY at the WH have a fairly good working knowledge of just how hated Bushco is. They are going to have to keep expanding the secure perimeters to keep up with the all pervasive and growing levels of hatred both abroad AND at home.

[grasswire]

40. Is Laura going along?

I haven't heard anything about that.

[Malva Zebrina]

44. Yes Laura is going

she is taking along a three day supply of curtains and upholstry gowns ,as well as tight fitting emsembles, or totally frumpy, grey and brown ensembles, that emphasize her unflattering figure--ie her fat, hippy butt and her aging, drooping breasts which she refuses to do anything about re foundation garments. Her fault, not mine. She will also not wash her hair for three days and that will be quite obvious as she increasingly begins to look as though she is wearing a helmet coated with hair spray--as well as the blood red nail polish she is so fond of, whether or not it goes with her outrageous choice of the day. Laura is an embarrassment.

[LibDemAlways]

42. There is nowhere on Earth

the chimp could appear in public and not be met with loud protests.

When you are the most hated, reviled individual on the planet, you should expect no less.