And from another angle...

"Digby Digby Digby, out out out."

That was the chant that greeted the head of the employers' organisation when he arrived for the CBI's annual conference.

But Digby Jones did not mind the chorus from a group of girls taking part in a demonstration by the union Amicus about equal pay for women.

In fact, he was rather pleased that, for the first time, a CBI conference had attracted demonstrators.

It seemed to be a sign that it was not only the country's bosses who thought the organisation could make a difference.

And there were more demonstrations.

*People arrested*

Striking firefighters left picket lines around Manchester to stage their own noisy protest after Mr Jones said the government should stand firm in the dispute over firefighters' pay.

Anti-war demonstrators went one step further by rushing into the conference centre and confronting staff on the BP stand - drawing a link between oil and possible war with Iraq.

Security was stepped up, but the same group struck again on Tuesday, hurling red dye over the BP stand and two of its staff.

Two people were taken away by police and Mr Jones promised to co-operate to make sure they were prosecuted.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2515285.stm

The two arrested were released the same evening and charged with £5,500 worth of criminal damage (no mention of BP's criminal damage to the environment!). In an apparent attempt to push for assualt, one of the blood soaked execs went to hospital - oh dear, maybe he got some in his eye. BP execs please note: it wasn't actually real blood, its harmless and will only damage reputations and dignity.

People misusing NHS resources like that should get a bill from the hospital.
'Charge for wasting health staff time'

Big White Taxi Service - Haway!

A little bird told me (well a rather big one actually who definately should know) that after the EF! action, coming on top of all the other stuff thrown at them over the last few days, the CBI decided to cut their loses, cancel the rest of their program and get out of town.

The BP stand at CBI was also briefly occupied by anti-war protesters during the storming of the exhibition on Sunday 24th. The fake blood action on Tuesday was also intended to highlight BP's blatant war-mongering:
Lord Browne, Chief Exec of BP is vying to have a cut in the carve-up of Iraqi oil reserves even before a war has started.
"We have let it be known that the thing we would like to make sure, if Iraq changes regime, is that there should be a level playing field for the selection of oil companies to go in there if they're needed to do the work there". Browne said BP should be allowed to operate in a post-Saddam Iraq because it was responsible for discovering much of the country's oil reserves before being thrown out in the 1970's.