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On saturday the 23rd of September, thousands of us marched through Manchester protesting at the empty buildings Labour warmongers were to start their conference in the next day. The demonstrators represented the most die-hard among the British peoples who have been marching for several years in London and other cities in their millions against the wars of occupation. The marchers hoped the warmongers would do something to bring to an end the process of devestation of our world their leaders have started. That was not to be. During the conference we saw very little hope for the future if we purely rely on them to save the world from the abyss the leaders of the warmongers are taking us towards.
 Some of the Manchester citizens who were aware of the abject weakness of the movement against the war, purely relying on the Labour Party organised several events during the Labour Party conference demanding the end to wars of occupation across the world.
On the 27th of September a group of concerned Manchester citizens gathered together for a rally of resistance in the centre of the city. Some of the protesters were not allowed to join the rally by the Police. The Police were present in large numbers intimidating the protesters and bystanders. A young man in his twenties was arrested when asked to move away from his girlfriend moved and asked the police officer 'is this far enough'. This was blatant over-reaction designed to intimidate the protesters.
 The protestors wanted to release peace ballons near the fence guarding the Labour conference. The Police instead, decided to hold them in a vice for an hour, effectively under arrest. It is an indication of how far our civil liberties and democratic rights have been affected by the "war on terror" our leaders have launched on its own citizens and internationally.
Protest: 62-year-old women cautioned
Mike Keegan and Nicola Dowling Reports
VISIBLE: The police presence
A 62-year-old woman was cautioned for hitting a policewoman with a placard during a demonstration against the Iraq war in St Peter's Square yesterday. And a man was given a fine for a public order offence. Protesters have accused police of being heavy-handed in their approach to the demo which included members from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the Warmongers and other local groups. CND campaigner Barry Woodling, 59, from Salford said soon after gathering at the side of Central Library the protestors were "surrounded and stopped from leaving.
WATCH a clip of the events as they unfolded
Some of the comments on the policing of the rally of resistance made by those on the March
1. the brutal over-reaction of the police seemed to take a lot of people by surprise - even in the new labour orwellian new britain that we now live in.
2. The overreaction of the police to the Rally of resistance, shows how the this country is rapidly losing its democratic facade.
There were other events organised during the week. A channel 4 documentary "Road To Guantanamo" was shown at the University on the 25th of September. The showing was preceded by a discussion on the issues arising out of Guantanamo, civil liberties and Human rights violations here and internationally. Various ideas were presented about what we as individuals can do to protect our human and democratic rights and restore them for others who have been denied some of the basic human rights in gulags like Guantanamo and others across the world and in this country.
Let us hope further struggles would emanate from the resistance mounted against the warmongers during the week they came to Manchester that will be effective in stopping their wars of occupation and of terror.
More Pictures of the rally of Resistance
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