On Sunday 24th November, the Manchester anti-war movement gate-crashed the CBI annual conference in the G-MEX centre. 600 hundred protestors gathered outside at dusk as the fat cat industrialists, oil of death from the British arms industry, gathered inside to stuff their fat faces at the opening dinner.
There were surprisingly few police around and a lot of rather mischievous looking youth and kids hovering around carrying banner and flags or banging drums. A PA system alternated between speeches and music.
After about an hour or so of chantiHe alterocio, alicasage Calle over the demonstrators PA, in a mock upper class English accent, saying: "Ladies and gentleman, dinner is served. Please take your seats".
At this, around three quarter of the assembled demonstrators charged at the thin line of police guarding the entrance to the CBI dinner.
As people pushed the bemused and outnumbered coppers aside, the upper class English voice continued over the PA: "Could we have the wine list please?"
By this time around fifty demonstrators had actually managed to break through the police line and get into the hall where the dinner was being held.
Those that couldn't get in were pressing against the police line at the door chanting feverishly: "George Bush we know, your daddy was a killer too." Prawn cocktails
Meanwhile, the voice over the PA announced: "Oh dear, we seem to have missed the prawn cocktails."
The tense standoff at the door continued for about 20 minutes while the coppers glared at them and maintained stiff upper lips.
Hundreds of demonstrators chanted deafeningly as they stood nose to nose with the police, while the voice over the PA boomed: "Another 50 bottles of Chianti for the late arrivals please.*
Inside, the 50 demonstrators marched around the hall chanting anti-war slogans and dodging cop-