Big anti-austerity march in London

This video from London, England is called Russell Brand‘s full speech at the People’s Assembly demonstration.

Tens of thousands rally against Con-Dem austerity onslaught

Monday 23rd June 2013

Russell Brand tells protesters, ‘Power is here!’

FAMED comedian Russell Brand rallied activists to revolution yesterday as tens of thousands marched through London against austerity.

He spoke at the end of Saturday’s No More Austerity demonstration, which saw 50,000 people take to the streets of the capital.

A host of trade union leaders, activists, politicians and artists joined Mr Brand at the Parliament Square rally.

“Power isn’t there,” shouted Mr Brand as he pointed at Parliament before turning his finger to the crowd: “Power is here!”

The audience cheered even louder when Mr Brand showed his support for the Fire Brigades Union struggle putting on a t-shirt with the slogan “We save people not banks.”

Journalist Owen Jones said that the demonstration was a “pledge” and an “oath” to continue fighting against the idea that those most fragile in our society are to “ pay for a crisis they had absolutely nothing to do with.

“Who is responsible for the mess this country is in? Is it the Polish fruit-picker? Or is it the bankers who plunged this country into economic disaster?”

A sentiment followed by actress Francesca Martinez who roared: “Fuck profit!”

Ms Martinez highlighted the importance of the values and the rights won by past generations, heralding the NHS, public education and social services in the process.

Others on the platform came to share their stories of destitution and oppression.

Jasmine Stone spoke on behalf of a group of young single mothers in east London who were evicted from their refuge by local authorities because of budget cuts.

Writer and comedian Kate Smurthwait spoke against the return of sexist politics peddled by the government’s agenda.

And Morning Star editor Richard Bagley highlighted the importance of the paper as part of the anti-austerity movement.

Musician Leon Rosselson sang about the 2011 riots being the expression of the poorest against a society that only values money.

Chart-topping band The Farm performed anti-war tune All Together Now, the anthem of the protest.

This video is called The Farm – All Together Now. The lyrics, about World War I and the soldiers’ Christmas truce in 1914, are:

All Together Now

“All Together Now” was written by Nicole Tyler / Peter Hooton / Steve Grimes / Rainhard Raith / Wolfgang Boss

Remember boy that your forefathers died
Lost in millions for a country’s pride
But they never mention the trenches of Belgium
When they stopped fighting and they were one

A spirit stronger than war was working that night
December 1914 cold, clear and bright
Countries’ borders were right out of sight
When they joined together and decided not to fight

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

The same old story again
All those tears shed in vain
Nothing learnt and nothing gained
Only hope remains

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
The boys had their say, they said no
Stop the slaughter and let’s go home
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go

The boys had their say, they said no
Stop the slaughter and let’s go home
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go home

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

The boys had their say they said no
Stop the slaughter and let’s go home
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go home

The boys had their say they said no
Stop the slaughter and let’s go home
Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go home

All together now
All together now
All together now
In no man’s land, together

All together now
All together now
All together now
…

By Joana Ramiro in Britain:

Mass London march was ‘practice’ for July 10 strikes

Monday 23rd June 2014

TRADE union leaders made it clear that Saturday’s thousands-strong march was a dress rehearsal for planned strikes on July 10 that could see millions walk out.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey pledged to rally his members for a “general strike when that is necessary.”

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has already called action for July 10 against Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove’s pay and pensions raid, while Unison and GMB are tipped to bring their members out on the day.

Mr McCluskey received enthusiastic cheers when he pledged: “We will make certain that we use every tool at our disposal.”

The Unite leader said it was the values of those marching on the day that spoke for the millions living in poverty.

In contrast, he labelled the coalition a group of “posh boys.”

The People’s Assembly was able to galvanise those standing against the austerity agenda and the coalition government, he said.

Members of the NUT also came out in force for the march, with hundreds of teachers and their families, many in their green campaign T-shirts, forming a noisy block.

General secretary Christine Blower said: “The reason why the People’s Assembly caught people’s imagination is because everybody knows that austerity is wrong.

“The poor, disabled, women with children are being left behind and cut adrift,” she said, while “the rich are getting richer.”

Those were the reasons the NUT is taking strike action on 10 July.

Many other unions were also present on the day, with public-sector union Unison, civil servants’ union PCS, transport workers’ union RMT, actors’ union Equity, and more displaying their banners, flags and balloons.

Some of Labour’s loudest voices for social justice — including Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn — also joined the march.

STRIKING firefighters lit up Saturday’s carnival against austerity as they marched through the London streets alongside one of their blazing red engines: here.

THE BBC was forced yesterday to defend its [very scant] coverage of the massive People’s Assembly demonstration against austerity in London on Saturday: here.

The People’s Assembly demo was buried by the BBC but ignoring protests won’t stop them happening, says JEREMY CORBYN MP: here.

UNISON members threw their weight behind the mass co-ordinated strike on July 10 yesterday: here.