This is slightly bizarre

Bulgarians demonstrating against their corrupt politicians (whom, I believe, they elected but that is another story) is not bizarre. Nor is the trapping of "more than 100 politicians, journalists and staff" inside the Parliament building overnight particularly bizarre. I bet most of them were harmless, underpaid staff rather than politicians but that is the way of demonstrations, riots and even revolutions.

What is bizarre in my view is the support voiced by the European Commission for the anti-corruption protests.

EU commissioner for justice Viviane Reding at a Citizens’ Dialogue event in Sofia said she was “very much moved by the strong desire of the Bulgarian citizen to have this change, to fight for democracy, to fight against corruption.”

“My sympathy is with the Bulgarian citizens who are protesting on the streets against corruption,” she said.

Nothing wrong, one might say, with supporting the protesters. I feel the same way myself. But is the Commission now on the side of street protests against the governments of member states? Does it intend to form an alliance in order to strengthen its own position?

Protests in Russia

The wave of protests passed off reasonably peacefully, as far as one can understand with the militia behaving well even when they arrested people. In Moscow, estimates vary from 20,000 by the police, to 40,000 by Reuters [in Russian] and 100,000 by the organizers. I think I shall assume that Reuters is the most accurate of them all. The picture above from the Reuters site shows the thousands going to the meeting.

The BBC Russian Service has more photos.

I shall write more about events in Russia tomorrow. In the meantime, let us remember that there is this to be said for Russians: they do not believe their politicians. How different from another country I can think of that has had a good deal more experience with them.

More on those comparisons

Ed Driscoll on Pajamas Media has some entertaining clips and stories about OWS and its off-shoots. But this cartoon from his interesting posting of October 11 sums up much of the American media's attitude. However, given the way stories have developed in the last few years, I am not sure that being praised by the media is necessarily an advantage in the long term.

Comparisons

Yesterdays Evening Standard tells us that there will be a copy-cat occupation of the City of London, starting this Saturday, to highlight the social and economic injustice of people who work getting more money than those who do not (sometimes). Actually, that is not quite the way they put it but, to be honest, anyone who thinks those occupations are "huge" is not telling the truth. 4,000, the hack tells us breathlessly, have already signed up for the City occupation. Yeah? How many turned up for the Proms every night?

Judging by the various videos and accounts, even the friendly ones, most American cities saw no more than a few hundred. In San Francisco, I am told, there were about 150.

Anyway, people who can plan to spend weeks (assuming the weather stays dry and mild) under tent, living off take-away food obviously do not have to worry about work, study, home, family, children or pets. That puts them into the minority of about half a per cent.

However, this reminded me that I have said nothing about the various occupiers over the Pond. There is, of course, no real need for me to pronounce on every subject and goodness knows there has been a lot of coverage - a good deal more than there was of the Tea Parties until they became a real threat to politicians. The Occupiers at the moment appear to be no threat to anyone except themselves.

I can't imagine it will be any different here. Let us not forget what happened when some of the new protesters tried to re-enact the Jarrow Hunger March.

More than 300 people – and some estimates say 500 – left Jarrow on Saturday, intending to retrace a shortened version of the route in five weeks. However, most of the crowd melted away when the march reached the outskirts of Jarrow half an hour later. Organisers, the trade unions and the Socialist Party (Labour's former Militant Tendency), had intended to keep at least 50 marchers on the road in between the high-profile rallies arranged in the bigger towns and cities. Many of those at the outset already have jobs and were only there as trade union members to make up the numbers.

But as the procession left Ripon for Harrogate to complete the sixth day of marching on Thursday. the "Crusade" had dwindled to just 16 people in 60 miles with 220 miles still to go.

What if we compare the two movements, the Tea Party and the OWS (Occupy Wall Street and its offshoots)? My immediate impression was that there were two main differences - one internal, one external. As far as the Tea Parties were concerned, the aims were quite simple: less taxation, smaller government and an adherence to the Constitution. In practice that meant questioning the politicians on their activity when they went against those simple principles.

The Occupiers appeared to be incapable of enunciating what their aims are beyond a vague desire for change and fairness. With the TPs, it was their enemies who kept harping (mostly wrongly) about who was taking part in the meetings and rallies; with the OWS, it was their supporters who replied to every question with an enumeration of all the grievances that brought so many different people out, instead of enumerating their suggestions. And you can see why, when you read through this very friendly collection of answers with some related photographs.

Some of the ideas and demands have been taken seriously but mostly by their opponents and, as expected, lambasted. I particularly like the combination of extreme protectionism and completely open borders. Do these people think?

The other difference was the attitude of the MSM. While, as I said above, the TP was ignored and only the bloggers paid attention, the OWS was written up and often extolled from the very beginning while the blogosphere took a more sceptical view. In fact, what has been exercising the blogosphere is a very different story and one that the MSM is reluctant to deal with and that is the "Fast and Furious", which has now reached the stage of the Attorney-General (whose memory is strangely faulty) being subpoenaed.

Another curious aspect of the OWS is that it seems to be supported by the politicians against whom these people are protesting, at least some of the time when they manage to work out what is going on. Some Democrats feel that this might give them a much-needed electoral boost; others are not so sure. As James Taranto puts it:

What's their slogan going to be, "Smash the system--re-elect the president"?

Not easy. Here is another agonizing appraisal in the liberal (of the American variety) New Republic.

Meanwhile, the Tea Partiers laugh and scoff. They point to the fact that the Left has been trying to emulate the successful grass-roots movement for some time and has, finally, managed to do something like it though their aims are clearly different.

Some Tea Partiers have decided to invade the rather sparse DC Occupation. The result is absolutely hilarious as this video shows. Sadly, the Occupiers of whatever age, do not come out too well in that, or this collection of somewhat biased photographs.

One could go on and on. It is worth pointing out that a number of people on the right are sympathetic to some of the complaints and demands, incoherent though they are. There is no question about it: something is changing drastically in American politics and the grass-roots are stirring. (Yes, I know that is a mixed metaphor but it is late and I am tired.)

My friend Iain Murray, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, was one of those who had hoped that OWS and its off-shoots could be co-opted into the fight against crony capitalism, the enemy of true enterprise. Not so, he thinks now. If the TPs are the descendants of the English Revolutions, the OWS hark back to the French Revolution. Without knowing much about it, they agree, as this video from Occupy LA, in which violence against the bourgeoisie is called for, shows. On the other hand, my co-blogger on Chicagoboyz, Lexington Green, a veteran Tea Partier who sees the connections between the two movements, went to talk to Occupy Chicago and came away with some sadness at the ignorance shown by many participants. His view is that these people are not violent and may well be influenced towards some real thinking. I don't know about Chicago - there the protesters might be different. I do not think that the proposed Occupy the City of London will be susceptible to any sensible arguments.

What was that about?

As people in many parts of the world remembered what happened ten years ago, there were services across Britain (let us not forget that British people died there and other British people lost family, friends and colleagues) and a one minute silence outside the US Embassy.

The rather ridiculous and objectionable Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) used the opportunity to burn the American flag and to shout anti-American slogans. Altogether there are four things to be noted about this story.

One is that there were about 100 of them, which is anything but terrifying.

Secondly, another group of Muslims travelled some distance to show their dislike for this behaviour.

However, a small opposing group of Muslims - some of whom had travelled hundreds of miles to rebut the extremists - staged a counter-demonstration nearby, holding up placards reading "Muslims Against Extremism" and "If You Want Sharia, Move To Saudi".

Abdul Sallam, 41, who was waving a sign that read "Keep The Silence", travelled down to London from his home in Glasgow to show the strength of his feelings.

He said: "I'm a Muslim. What they're doing is bringing shame on all Muslims. This is not part of the teachings of Islam.

"Islam teaches you that when you see anything bad or evil, you should speak out against it.

"If the moderate Muslims all came out and spoke out, that would defeat them.

"I am proud to be British. I love my country. All these people are doing is breaking Britain apart."

Good for Mr Sallam who was not afraid to give his name to the journalists.

Thirdly, the police behaved somewhat stupidly by moving EDL demonstrators (all 60 of them) from their place in order to let the MAC stand there. How to ensure that you look biased in favour of the enemy, eh? Who on earth gave them the instructions?

And lastly, what are we to make of these pathetic gestures of defiance that are allowed only because members of the MAC live under the despised or hated Western legal systems? Today, naturally enough, I discussed the events of that day ten years ago with other people and asked what exactly had those attackers achieved. Answer was, nothing.

The United States is still the strongest power in the world and its problems, mostly economic though some political, have nothing to do with any Muslim attempt to destroy it. In fact, there is a sense of political renewal in that country that we, on this side of the Pond, can only envy.

The two (not counting Libya) wars have taken their toll, as wars always do, but they have not destroyed the country or its political structure and, despite the most stalwart efforts on the part of the American main-stream media, did not destroy the Bush presidency. Obama is doing his best to destroy his own, but that is another story.

The Muslim countries are not doing very well; nothing good has come out of the 9/11 attacks as far as they or Al-Qaeda are concerned. Ten years on, Islam is nowhere near taking over the world and the Khalifate is as far away as it ever was. What has been achieved? Nothing. If the West has problems with parts of the Muslim population that has nothing to do with those monstrous attacks ten years ago. The problems need to be solved but the first thing that needs to be acknowledged is the true impotence of the various Islamist organizations in the West, in this case in Britain. It is not surprising that they need to produce these ridiculous protests and desperate, almost hysterical outbursts. They are losing and it is hard to acknowledge.

We don't give in ... except when we do

This evening I ambled along to the two rallies outside the Royal Albert Hall and got there towards the end. There were two groups, one anti the Israel Philharmonic, brandishing Palestinian flags and the usual slogans; one in support with Israeli flags, Union flags and even a St George's flag as well as some Irish symbols. But it was all quiet. So I went on to do some shopping and got home to find that the concert had been disrupted by people shouting abuse in the first half during the violin solo when Radio 3 had interrupted its live broadcast. Then Radio 3 went back and, it seems, the protesters were not weeded out as they started screaming abuse again. Radio 3, once again interrupted its broadcast and decided not to continue with it, but to play the same pieces on music in recordings but not ones made by the Israel Philharmonic. In essence, the BBC gave in to the thugs. Something to be proud of?

Oh, and may one point out to the BBC and to the Evening Standard that bags are not searched in order to wean out political protesters. That can't be done. Bags are searched because anti-Israeli protesters have been known to blow themselves up, taking many other people with them. Is there some problem these people have with telling the truth?

The Telegraph reports that the concert went on in the Hall, that some members of the audience tweeted back to the BBC to say that the "protesters" were shouted at to stop and that part of the concert will be broadcast on Wednesday, September 7 at 2.30 pm. Will they have it on iPlayer as usual? We don't know.

Seen this afternoon in the Strand

It's not a great photo as it was taken by phone. The group of Zimbabwean exiles are outside Zimbabwe House in the Strand every Saturday, collecting signatures for a petition, displaying pictures and slogans and, most of all, singing and dancing. You might be able to see the group of men dancing behind the front line of women with the petitions. Every time I go past I wonder.