A flock of unusual birds joined the seagulls in Falmouth on Saturday. They were paper doves, pegged to ropes and primed with messages of support for the 30 activists charged with piracy in Russia.
As with any day of action, it was exciting to hold a solidarity event knowing that so many more were being held at the same time. There was a definite feeling of togetherness, both sombre and happy!
As we set up outside on the highstreet in Falmouth, certain elements of our stall were tried and tested staples; colouring pens, our massive Arctic circle, plasticine for crafting doughy doves and, of course, a polar bear. However, some new elements were thrown into the mix. In addition to the doves and rope there were some cardboard bars for people to pose behind, and a good helping of faces fresh to Cornwall group! Some were seasoned activists putting in time elsewhere in the country, and for others this was their first stall. All were equally welcome!
Reassuringly but a little surprisingly, our stall and #FreeTheArctic30 placards were attracting attention before we had even finished setting up. So many people commented that they had been following the story and were keen to send messages of support. It didn't take long for our ropes to begin filling with rainbow doves covered in heartfelt one-liners, long impassioned scribblings and even bible verses.
Partway through the day a journalist from local station Source FM approached us, giving Greenspeaker Helen the opportunity for her first radio interview! Keep an eye out, we'll be posting links to anything that gets aired.
A busking violinist provided a soundtrack for the first part of our street stint, the polar bear seamlessly dancing through solemn lilts and jaunty tunes. Only one child was brought to tears at the sight of the costume, possibly the lowest number ever in our experience!
The waves of people stayed strong until packing up time, with several individuals and groups expressing their concerns on a very personal level. One family, for instance, knew arrested videographer Kieron personally and had been keeping an eye out for any way that they could help their plight.
We ended the day with 95 doves to send in support (many doubled up on our limited pegs!) and happy knowing that we had spread the message as best we could.
Massive thanks to Lara, Ben, Lily, Wendy, Charmain (and Archie the pup), Jo, Jenna, Helen, Colin and Heidi for pitching in for our solidarity event. However the biggest shout out has to go to Maddie, who danced tirelessly for the duration as our crowd pleasing bear. A sweaty salute to you!
If you haven't already done so, please take the time to tell the Russian Embassy to release our activists and end offshore oil drilling in the Arctic. While you're online, why not take a peek at our Flickr and Facebook albums of the event, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter! Tweet your support with hashtag #FreeTheArctic30.
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