Geldof’s magic million rally hope
Published: June 3, 2005
Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof has repeated his desire for a million people to descend on Edinburgh for a rally against poverty.
Geldof had urged protesters to go to Edinburgh for the rally on 6 July to coincide with the G8 summit.
But police chiefs raised concerns about the appeal and how the city could cope.
Geldof told the BBC it was “a fantastic figure” and people should travel to Scotland even if they do not visit the Scottish capital.
He said Edinburgh was “sophisticated” enough to handle large numbers of people.
Geldof conceded he “hasn’t a clue” how many people will respond to his plea.
Asked whether he wanted a million people to gather in Edinburgh, he said: “I would love that and I think it’s a fantastic number.
“Martin Luther King changed his country with it and the anti-apartheid marchers throughout the world often had that sort of figure.
“Edinburgh gets those sorts of numbers every year at the Edinburgh Festival. They don’t all have to be in Edinburgh, there’s great festivals happening around that.”
Celebratory theme
On Thursday, Edinburgh’s deputy lord provost Steve Cardownie accused Geldof of being irresponsible and senior police officers have expressed concern about the impact on resources.
Lothian and Borders assistant chief constable Ian Dickinson said a million people in the Scottish capital was not a possibility.
However, Geldof said that during meetings with First Minister Jack McConnell and senior police officers he had stressed the event would have a celebratory theme.
He said it would be similar to street music festivals in Ireland.
“It’s going to be the day, the week when this country actually did do something beyond phenomenal and that is to stop people dying on our television screens every night for ever,” said the musician.
“Edinburgh is a highly sophisticated city and is able to take in large amounts of people and marshal them. It’s going to be fantastic.
“We’re going to Edinburgh to celebrate the day that this country actually did lead the world on behalf of the poorest people on the planet.”
On Thursday, fellow Live 8 organiser Midge Ure urged people not to panic about the numbers expected at the gathering.
He said: “Bob could have said 10 million, he could have said a billion, Mars is going to crash into Scotland, it doesn’t matter. It was a symbolic call for people to stand up and be counted.”
During a briefing in Edinburgh on Friday, Chancellor Gordon Brown said the G8 summit offered the UK a chance to help the poverty-stricken.
He said: “This year, the year of the UN special summit, as well as Britain’s presidency of the G8 summit in Gleneagles, is our chance to reverse the fortunes of a continent and it’s an opportunity to transform the lives of millions.”
The Church of Scotland urged people to remember the message behind the Make Poverty History coalition march on 2 July.
The Right Reverend David Lacy, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “The march and rally on 2 July are about ensuring that people in poor countries can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment.
“They are about asking the UK Government to enact laws to stop big business from profiting at the expense of people and the environment.”
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