I am throwing out a call to action on SATURDAY, MARCH 31 at 12noon at TRAFALGAR SQUARE for a stroll with cigs in hand and banners, as we did in Stony Stratford. This is 82 years (if my maths are right and I’m crap at that) to the exact day that women in the US took part in the Torch of Freedom March (1929) to end the stigmatisation of women smokers.
As smokers in the 21st Century we are described in the same terms as animals in the zoo and I believe the time is right to say that we men and women smokers will not put up with further stigmatisation, marginalisation or denormalisation. Non smokers have rights and so therefore smokers have rights. We must work at getting this simple message across. We are people too and we don’t deserve the treatment we are getting by people with the mental health condition Smokerphobia.
If we are going to do this then we must make a good show and we must have a lot of people behind us – so spread the word, invite your friends, offer lifts to London if you can, and invite your MP.
And remember, what we are talking about here is a like minded stroll of a fed up minority – not a march of millions – hell even the Queen couldn’t get that sort of turn out for a Royal occasion these days. All of the protests we’ve seen lately have been fairly low on numbers – even those with Union backing. How many at #Occupy? – not THAT many.
We must show that we are united, like minded, GRASS ROOTS – unfunded – ordinary people without any help from anyone, getting together as a community to say we’re still here and we’re not going away and we are fed up at being singled out. What would they expect from a minority – many probably elderly – a show of millions?
We don’t ask a lot – we ask for something and if no one is prepared to stand up – even on their own – and say this then what is the point?
The only other alternative is to continually do nothing, show nothing, and give the message year on year that we don’t give a damn what is done to us, said about us, taken from us – expect your kids next ..
Come on people – 40 years ago that Farren women went into pubs on her own and look where it took her. What exactly have we done in five years? I don’t see any victories on our side. Should we all just pack up and go home, live our lives unhindered and untainted by this fight? Maybe I’ll even start getting work again. Something very very thin on the ground since I came out publically in support of this issue.
If this issue matters to those of you as much as it does to me then we have no choice because the only way we’ll get our lives back is if we keep demanding it. This must work.
Back to my original question – who will pull out all the stops and use every one of their contacts to help make this work?