Demonstrating Love
It should be business as usual in the shopping streets of central London on Monday. No broken or boarded windows. No go-slow cyclists. No waiting for hours behind the thick blue line of the law.
The tide of May Day protests that once flowed strongly against unfair trade has now ebbed. There'll be the usual TUC march, swollen this year by workers not affiliated to any union, but little else to speak of. So, does this mean we've all lost interest in trade justice?
Of course not. Perhaps some of the mostly regular, decent people who turned out in the past became too intimidated, either by the extremism of the few or by the police's response. Others may have simply given up, disillusioned.
But for the great majority the marching had to stop at some point, to be replaced with something more positive and longer-lasting. As Jim Wallis said when he spoke at LICC recently, 'Protest is good; an alternative is better.'
Increasing numbers of people are searching for such an alternative - which in this case is surely an alternative lifestyle. It can, of course, still be a lifestyle led in opposition to unfair traders or legislators; but it should, overwhelmingly, be characterised by positive choices, in support of the environment, one's neighbour, the poor...
So it may even be a good thing if May Day passes off without note this year, aside from the gentle ringing of tills. No one should be intimidated - whether they're trying to earn their crust at McDonald's or trying to make a difference on a demo.
But (in the true spirit of May Days past) it's worth pausing at least to remember the people for whom so many took to the streets in the first place: those who continue to be disadvantaged by the unfair rules of global trade.
And it's worth acknowledging that, even if we no longer come out in force on this day, we remain inextricably linked, through a complex web of connections, some positive, some negative: through the choices we make and the lives we continue to lead.
If we can work every day towards fairer trade and justice for all, through where we shop, what we buy and how we use our influence as consumers and believers, the legwork of past marchers will not have been in vain. What we need is a year-round demonstration, of love.
Brian Draper
Comments
There are currently no comments for this article.
