Later the crowd blockaded the Halifax on George Street, then marched along George Street & Princes Street. The day's actions lasted 3-4 hours and finished with a demo outside the Bank of Scotland Headquarters on the Mound.
Six van loads of police were in attendance but were unable to stop the direct action. There were no arrests.
Thousands of flyers in the form of BANK OF BIGOTRY ten pound notes were distributed, and a special Stamp on the G8 leaflet was given out. (Send a SAE and a stamp to ACE for copies).
There were no arrests - the only known attempt at an arrest, in George Square, being thwarted by determined demonstrators who surrounded the police and ensured the handcuffed prisoner was freed.
June 18th in Scotland also featured a group in Aberdeen leafleting in the city centre and at McDonalds, and an anonymous flyposting and paint bomb attack on Reed Recruitment in Edinburgh, aimed at the company's participation in the compulsory workfare New Deal scheme.
Empowering experiences all, and further encouragement came as reports came in from over 30 countries round the globe where people had taken simultaneous action. From the City of London to Los Angeles, from Bangladesh to Uruguay, from Nigeria to Germany people have proved that resistance is as transnational as capital.
This is just the beginning....
"Our actions today are part of global actions which can help strengthen international links between workers and communities, stopping the transnational corporations playing people off against each other, and planting the seeds of a world based on human need not profit.....Imagine a world where there are no employers and employees, just people giving according to their abilities" from the STAMP ON THE G8 leaflet produced for the Edinburgh action.
For further information, please contact:
Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh
17, W Montgomery St.,
Edinburgh, EH7 5HA
Tel: (0131) 557 6242
lothian@burn.ucsd.edu