9/11 anniversary: a lovely day for a spot of protesting at the BBC

Charlie Skelton
London Guardian
Saturday, September 12, 2009

It’s a lovely day for a spot of protesting. The sun is out, the placards are freshly sprayed, and the police are being friendly. “You can do what you want,” smiles the sergeant, “just don’t run inside the building.” Gareth assures me that running inside the building isn’t part of the plan. The plan today is to hand out fliers and DVDs, holler facts at the BBC front entrance, and tell as many people as possible about nano-thermite.

I don’t know what nano-thermite is. Turns out it’s a high-tech incendiary compound that the US Department of Defence is fond of using to incendiarise things. It’s a substance that a Professor from the University of Copenhagen has found in the rubble of Ground Zero. Gareth is excited about the nano-thermite. “The paper was peer reviewed,” he grins. “I’ve got a copy if you want one.” I take one for the Tube. If it’s a choice between London Lite and the Open Chemical Physics Journal, I know which one I’d rather spend rush hour with.

Gareth Newnham is from London Truth Action. He’s hoping for a decent turn out today – around 150 people are expected; already there’s 60 or so truthers here, and a cheery informational vibe. There’s a slim, half-uttered hope that the BBC might even do a story about the “new evidence”. They won’t, of course. Everyone knows that.

(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)

Still, Gareth is a beacon of optimism. “A lot of younger people are questioning the official story, particularly those who were in the age range of 18-25 when the attack happened.” A sad bit of maths takes place in my head; I’m one of the older guard. “Something has changed over the last couple of years. Fewer people think we’re crazy, the initial shock of the information is starting to wear off.”

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

The massive banner opposite the lobby says INVESTIGATE 9/11, which I realise isn’t an imperative at all. It’s a question. Everyone here is a question. Gareth is a question. Nano-thermite is a question. Truth is a question. 9/11 is a question.

But here’s something I really don’t understand: when did it become uncool to ask questions? When did questioners become imbeciles? Who gets to hand out the tinfoil hats? When did it become cool to believe what we’re told? In the words of Mr Hicks, did I miss a meeting? When did so many of the cynics and sceptics, so many of the sharpest brains I know (hello Charlie Brooker!) think that the cool thing to do is mock the questioners, and defend the party line. How stratospherically uncool is that? You want to know who’s cool? Gareth is cool, Mohsin in the pink shirt is cool, the girl in the pink pants is cool. Charlie Sheen is cool, Julianne Moore is cool, Dario Fo is cool. And today, perhaps for the first time in my life, I’m cool too.

Full story here.

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