2007: The World Can't Wait: Your Voice Against Poverty
Thousands
descended on central London for The World Can't Wait: Your Voice
Against Poverty rally by Westminster and the River Thames on Saturday
2 June 2007. It was a bright sunny day, there was an amazing atmosphere
and the event was peaceful and good-humoured.
Alongside people who had come from all over the UK, rock stars Midge Ure and Annie Lennox lent their support to the protest. They posed for the press in Parliament Square with a host of semi-naked "pants to poverty" demonstrators and a giant world, which resulted in good media coverage.
There were activities in Central Hall Westminster, the Emmanuel Centre and Archbishops Park all day, including a keynote debate, speech bubble placard-making, an Unfair Ground, a short film screening and various workshops.
At 2pm everyone headed down to the River Thames, around Lambeth Bridge,
for the mass moment. A World 
Can't Wait boat was out on the river, hung
with banners showing the grand total of voices against poverty
collected from people all around the UK over the last few months.
At 2.30pm, Kumi Naidoo, chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty, led a minute's silence in solidarity with those who live in poverty from the boat, followed by three minutes of exuberant noise as the crowd blew whistles, banged drums and let off alarm clocks, chanting: "G8 - The World Can't Wait!"
The grand total of voices against poverty from the UK was 582,287.
Reports and resources
- World Can't Wait 2nd June event evaluation report
- Tony Blair's Response to The World Can't Wait - June 2007
More reports, videos, and pictures from the day on the Your Voice Against Poverty website.
