Did anyone march when they were young?

Wearing well, my last march was last year - I expect I'll be out with them all again on the next strike day.

Humbert Bear, did you have an

All the way with LBJ? I've still got my support the miners mugs too.

Yep! Anti Vietnam War and CND come to mind. Police on horses rushing us - very scary indeed. Gave blood for those fighting in Vietnam too even though I didn't agree with the war. The son of an American family I was staying with in the US at the time was called up to his parents' horror. As usual it was the man on the street who has to suffer.

I used to have a safari hat with loads of badges pinned to it - one favourite was that colourful 'Nuclear Power, no thanks!' one. Whatever happened to that hat?

I still have all my 60s political badges pinned to my school scarf. The HT asked me not to wear it to school as she thought I was setting a bad example to the younger girls.
My last march was in support of the miners back in the 80s on a very wet day. we couldn't find the contingent of teachers from our school so we marched with my friends partner and his contingent of firemen.
Sadly, my offspring have never felt strongly enough about anything to march but they have also not done a lot of other things I did............

Wearingwell (love the name) I was marching yesterday - YES Scotland March & Rally in Edinburgh - and there were plenty of Grannies and Granpas, many older than me, marching along or birling along in wheelchairs. It was their first march for 2 of our DGC and they thoroughly enjoyed it dancing to the music and waving their flags, although when I asked DGD today what she enjoyed most she said 'the icecream after'. It was a brilliant day, with bright sunshine throughout, good speeches, poetry and music and everyone in good spirits.

Once again, as at every March/Rally/Protest I have attended the media grossly underestimated the turnout. The Police estimated an attendance of 5000 at 11.20am at the Meadows although the March did not start until 12.10pm. Many people joined in en route and there were thousands of people already gathered in Princes Street Gardens for the Rally before the March arrived, so at least 10,000 there if not more. Today's Scottish papers are headlining on the 'fact' that there was a low turnout, which is utter tosh, rather than report anything about the nature or purpose of the event.

Veterans of demos and marches will recognise that this always happens - it is, I suppose the establishment's attempt to downplay any dissention - very annoying though!

I have been to a few political rallies, the last one against John Howard-warmonger and one against the live export of sheep. I regret not marching against the Iraq war, I also wanted to march against the Vietnam war but my then fiance was a conscript. He was called up one year after immigrating to Australia as an 18 year old with his parents why in hell would you bring your son to a country that has conscription for eighteen year old males. So many people die in needless wars, I definitely would march in anti war protests in the future.

Yes, MiceElf, it does make a difference! Where do young people get their inspirations from? Many sources, including what they see their immediate elders doing/saying/thinking. I think its important as grandparents that we share our beliefs/commitments openly. Firstly, its good for us as individuals to retain our links/express ourselves within a community of interest but secondly, its a good model for our children/grandchildren to see older people actively engaged and caring enough about social/political issues to get out there and take part. So what's with all the past tense in the above posts, fellow grannies?

PS
I wasn't young that time though - in my early 50s.

dorsetpennt I loved your story, and it is true you get a great feeling when fighting for something important.

My marching has been a bit different. When I had recently arrived in Vienna as a 19 year old au pair, and wasn't yet very good at German, I marched with what I thought was their Labour party on May day. It was actually the Communists!! They were a friendly bunch though, but boy could they drink!! The march ended up at Grinzing, a rather boozy district, and mayhem ensued.

My first real protest was in 1997 when I joined the Ipswich anti-racism committee to take action against Pauline Hanson, a recently elected racist MP. To add insult to injury, she was elected in MY area, so I had the horrible knowledge that more of my neighbours were racist than not. We marched, demonstrated, handed out leaflets - the lot. She never got into any house of any parliament again.

I am assured by some friends who were at Greenham with me that I was throwing a policeman's hat but if I did I've forgotten it now. I do remember a group of women walking menacingly towards a policeman who was pinned up against the fence. I thought they were going to rush him and for the only time in my life felt a surge of mob excitement. I knew I would join in if they had.

Granjura, me too. We released white doves and carried sacks of rice and other staples bought from the Co-op to donate to the third world. It was very, very wet and muddy. Son, now aged 33 remembers it well.

I have a gorgeous oil painting of women at the fence at Greenham in my hall. Part of a series called 'Carry Greenham Home'. I tied ribbons on the fence and danced with policemen.

So was I and at Molesworth too.

I was at that joining hands day at Greenham as well - took my daughter who was about 9 and she still remembers it. Also poll tax protests but become a bit of a pen protester now.

CND marches in my youth and, more recently the march supporting Bombardier [the last train manufacturer threatened with closure recently]. nightowl; the pen is a very powerful weapon.....

Stop the Seventies Tour (experienced police brutality at tender age of 18 - changes your view of the state for life)
Pro-choice.
Visited Greenham several times for big days.

I was at Greenham Common for that big event where everyone joined hands around the perimeter. Hugely exciting. Great sense of camaraderie.

Police quite intimidating sitting on their great big horses. They seemed quite prepared to trample people if they didn't get out of the way.

I've got a lovely Christian CND one in black and silver metal. But no one has ever made me an offer for it. Not that I'd part with it.

PS I still have my CND badge from that time. A collector offered me £20 for it but I wont be parted from it.

absentgrana we could have marched side-by-side. I was a paid up member of CND , a friend and I marched from Aldermaston to Trafalgar Square in 1962, we were only 18 years old too. I didn't tell my mother she would have been horrified. We were student nurses and once that was discovered we spent the evenings dealing with sore and blistered feet. The organisers ensured we had a safe place to sleep, although I never felt at risk. At the end we heard many important people including Sidney Slverman and Bertram Russell speak. It was glorious and I felt that by marching I was supporting CND. We also demonstrated outside the American Embassy in Grosvernor Sq at the time of the Bay of Pigs . A 'Lady' who lived in the Square thought we girls were 'marvellous' and let us use her loo and made copious amounts of tea and toast in the morning. Her house was so grand but she wasn't, she was elderly and had been a suffragette so felt we, as girls, were carrying on the cause. I was living in New York at the Greenham Common demo and sit in, but was there in heart. My children aren't a bit political and wouldn't dream of doing any demos.

No. Never did - not that there was much of it going on back then. I can't see that any of it did much good. Think of Jarrow...

I was heartened to see so many young people protesting against the invasion of Iraq in 2003 as their generation had always seemed so lacking in idealism. I especially enjoyed the two young men who, as they marched, chanted "Don't attack Iraq innit".

The first time I was moved to march was in the anti Iraq war protests.

I was a teenager in the 1950's and there really was very little protest going on about anything. We were just interested in having a good time - perhaps it was a reaction to living through the war and the years of austerity that followed it.
I very much admire people who take part in any kind of protest against injustice.

Most of those I should have said. All of the big causes.

Oh and lots of miners' wives staying with us down from Co Durham.