Easter Monday 1960: ‘the largest demonstration London has seen this century’ (BBC)
At Easter 1960(Monday 18th April) CND held the third of its annual Spring marches. The first had gone to Aldermaston from London but subsequent ones including this one reversed the direction.
Easter was chosen in part because of religious symbolism and numbers of Church leaders were connected with CND at this point. The cause of nuclear disarmament (not to speak of departure from NATO which became CND policy in 1960 but was rarely a campaign focus) had by this stage become central to discussion in the Labour Party..
While historians myself included usually date the rise of large and very large demonstrations in London from 1968, the BBC’s statement is a reminder that by that time CND had already provided the template, much as Stop the War (of which CND was a part) did for really huge London protests on February 15th 2003.
there was no doubt this was the largest demonstration London has seen this century. BBC report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/18/newsid_2909000/2909881.stm
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