Protest The Pope
Say NO to an official State Visit to the UK
World’s biggest anti-Pope protest
Before the crowds set off from Hyde Park Corner on Saturday, the police estimated that we were 12,000 strong. But the number continued to rise as protesters poured onto Piccadilly; as we marched, more protesters were waiting on the route and joined in and so did many onlookers, most of whom were supportive; and perhaps another thousand were waiting to join us opposite Downing Street. At the arrival point before the Protest the Pope rally started on Westminster the numbers were closer to 20,000.
Please share your pictures at this link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/popeprotest2010/
Watch, read or hear the speeches at the Rally
Sue Cox at the Protest the Pope March&Rally – 18/09/2010
Andrew Copson at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Terry Sanderson at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Peter Tatchell at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Geoffrey Robertson at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Richard Dawkins at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Johann Hari at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Ben Goldacre at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Father Bernard Lynch at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Maryam Namazie at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Clara Connolly at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Pragna Patel at the Protest the Pope Rally – 18/09/2010
Listen to a report on the POD Delusion:
Apologies to Dr Ben Goldacre and the others that spoke at the end of the Rally.
After having closed also the northbound of Whitehall because of the huge number of protesters, the Police had no choice but pestering us for terminating the Rally as soon as possible (after the planned end time of 5.30pm) trying to minimise the disruption to the traffic in central London.
We insisted to have at least one minute for each of the remaining speakers, which was obviously not enough.
THANKS FOR THE HUGE SUPPORT. THIS MARCH HAS MADE HISTORY.
The National Catholic Register states: “Even though the pope’s supporters clearly outnumbered his critics, this was nevertheless easily the largest public protest Benedict XVI has ever faced on one of his foreign trips, and one of the largest protests against a pope in modern history.”
All profits have been donated to SNAP, The Survivor’s Network of Those Abused by Priests. The total donated is £1,982.58.
Representatives of SNAP on the stage of the “Nope Pope” Party on Friday 17th September. Photo by Andrew West.
Let’s make a DVD of the March&Rally
Please send an email telling us about your material (but not yet sending it) to Moderator@RichardDawkins.net. Details should include a synopsis, file format and file size. We’ll then send you step-by-step instructions on how to get the footage to us via an online file-sharing system. The act of sending us your material will constitute your consent for us to use it, on a non-exclusive basis (meaning that you are still free to use it yourself in any way you choose).”
Why “Protest the Pope”?
The diverse groups who support this campaign have many different reasons for not approving of the State Visit to the UK by the Pope in September 2010. They all however share the following view:
- That the Pope, as a citizen of Europe and the leader of a religion with many adherents in the UK, is of course free to enter and tour our country.
- However, as well as a religious leader, the Pope is a head of state and the state and organisation of which he is head has been responsible for:
- opposing the distribution of condoms and so increasing large families in poor countries and the spread of AIDS
- promoting segregated education
- denying abortion to even the most vulnerable women
- opposing equal rights for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender people
- failing to address the many cases of abuse of children within its own organisation.
- rehabilitating the holocaust denier bishop Richard Williamson and the appeaser of Hitler, the war-time Pope, Pius XII.
- The state of which the Pope is the head has also resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties (‘concordats’) with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states.
- As a head of state, the Pope is an unsuitable guest of the UK government and should not be accorded the honour and recognition of a state visit to our country.
If you believe, as we do, that the Pope should not come to the UK without hearing from the millions of people who reject his harsh, intolerant views and the practices and policies of the Vatican State please get involved.
Get involved
The purpose of this web-site is to provide a focal point and a resource for the many thousands of people who think that, as a head of state, the Pope is an unsuitable guest of the UK and should not be accorded the honour and recognition of a state visit to our country.
Use this site to get involved. It might be:
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