"No More War" This is one of the banners hanging around the Peace Garden in St Peter's Square. It hangs from temporary fencing erected around the peace camp set up their by MFAW (Military Families Against War), the reason they are their is that next week is the annual Labour Party conference and they want their voices heard. The peace camp is expected to remain until the conference is finished. This group is just one of large number of organisations that will besiege Manchester city centre this weekend.
Tomorrow (Saturday 23rd September) will see between 25,000 and 100,000 protesters and demonstrators march through the city. There are groups travelling from all over the UK to be part of the protest, this includes a "peace train" coming from London carrying not just protesters but the well known Tony Benn. At around 2.30pm there, is scheduled, a "die-in" this harks back to the "sit-in's" of 1960's, except the difference is that people play dead. Its expected that at least 10,000 people will participate in this act, all wrapped in white sheets splattered with red paint.
The protest's main organiser is the Stop The War Coalition, which includes groups such a CND and Mancs Against Tanks. Earlier today it was revealed that the laptop of a Ministry of Defence Officer was stolen, this contained the full list of security arrangements for the conference and as a result the plans were changed. Most streets around the G-MEX centre are already blocked off and the area has a heavy police presence, there also appears to be a ring of anti-car bombing defences being set up around the G-MEX centre.


The Peace Garden, St Peter's Square, Manchester, United Kingdom.