Food for thought:
- Forty years ago this week, 250,000 people marched on and rallied at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC to demand equal rights for America’s black citizens. There they heard Martin Luther King deliver his "I have a dream" speech, one of the greatest orations in modern history. (BBC coverage of the anniversary). Undoubtedly, this event had a profound impact on public and government opinion, and, along with the other events and protests that took place during that time, led to real change.
- In February this year, somewhere between three and eight times as many people marched in London against the war in Iraq. (BBC coverage). Other rallies and marches were held across the UK and around the world. In terms of sheer numbers of people, these events dwarfed King’s March for Freedom. Yet did they really make any difference?