Wear comfortable shoes (today probably also a hat) and carry water, and charged up phone.
London is probably one of the safest and nicest places to protest in the world
Also realise that there is no ‘right’ way to protest. If you feel uncomfortable step away
Lots of people who will make you feel welcome
You don’t need to walk the whole way or stay on. If ypu aren’t feeling well or are tired, it’s ok to drop off.
You turned up. That’s what is important
Above all, protests are a positive action in a democracy. They are about solidarity and fraternity. They make you feel part of a collective. They are evidence of a committed citizenry.
Enjoy exercising your fundamental rights as citizens of a vibrant democracy! ✊🏽
Many in the US can be very insular. And even those who are international have imperial filters so the rest of the world is to be feared/discovered/saved.
This is why it needs saying: Kavanaugh is vile and should never have been confirmed. But it’s a long war!
Also let’s pay attention:
A woman - Nadia Murad -who had been held in sexual slavery and survived and works against SV got the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday.
Women in India are speaking up and speaking out in numbers and in ways that are unprecedented.
And this summer the 377 judgement laid down the principle of ‘bodily sovereignty.’
Read this. Personal story: I moved to UK in my 30s. I have paid taxes from day one. I speak English. I am educated. But I keep my interactions to a bare minimum and get full medical checks when I go to India.
Why? Because I know my concerns are not taken seriously. And yes this is after I have been registered at multiple surgeries (because of change in address).
So questions that I know are important (given family health history) are ignored or dismissed.
At one surgery, I got regular lectures from the (English) nurse on the dangers of eating wheat - herpersonal bug bear - instead of actual health advice.
"...within the compartment of privacy, individual autonomy has a significant space. Autonomy is individualistic. It is expressive of self-determination and such self-determination includes sexual orientation and declaration of sexual identity."
"Under the autonomy principle, the individual has sovereignty over his/her body."
Although this section is on privacy, this sentence stands out because of its implications for other areas of civil rights, including future body data rights.
"...the sustenance of identity is filament of life. It is equivalent to authoring one's own life script where freedom broadens everyday. Identity is equivalent to divinity."
And yes ‘he could take the bus’ hides a great deal of shittiness about the state of public transport in the US
Surely providing a state funded car or specialised transport service for senior citizens (various places in Europe do this) is not prohibitively expensive or difficult to put in place.