Colourful action

I wake up in a vibrant camp in bright sunshine after the best night's sleep I've had since Wednesday night - definitely a good start to a productive day. Queuing for water to wash and drink makes me value the fact that I'm not one of the millions who has to do so every day, and the thought acts as another reminder of why I'm here.

Partway along the walk to the start of the day's demonstration, a day of action on global agriculture, I'm picked up by some locals activists heading the same way, who tell me that the citizens of Rostock weren't sure what to expect from protesters this week, as there seem to have been mixed messages in advance, and we discuss the scuffles with police yesterday, regarded as the result of antagonism by a small number of individuals on both sides.

We arrive for the demo and it looks like we're going to be outnumbered by police, but people continue to gather and by the time we set off after a number of speakers including an inspiring woman from Via Campesina Nicaragua, it has swelled to a positive and colourful protest of several thousand, much smaller that yesterday's still, but perhaps more focussed and coherent for it. A G8 monster, various genetically modified animals and vegetables (including a battery chicken that I spot talking to a bemused police officer), an army of pigs and hundreds of yellow balloons make up a lively procession powered by a samba band and live folk rock coming from a float pulled by a tractor. The music has people dancing in the street and at one point manages to help diffuse what was starting to look like a tense situation with the police. We pass a deserted Lidl store which makes me smile as it is being guarded by a line of police armed with riot gear, and enjoy free homemade food being distributed from a farm cart.

The demo reaches it's final destination in the main square just in time for me to get down to the harbour where a dramatic message to the G8 summit on climate change is being organised. I manage to hand out some flyers for WDM's workshops later in the week (since two of them will be on climate change) before becoming part of of the T in a human banner formed by hundreds to spell out "G8 ACT NOW!" above the message "Stop global warming!", an stunt implemented by numerous Greenpeace-branded individuals. There are multiple photo calls and Mexican waves before we finally disband for another evening of live music and speakers.