Both the Communist Party and Young Communist League were in London on Saturday to join the People’s Assembly national demonstration against Boris Johnson’s government.
The protest in London was calling for the end of both Tory cuts and Tory rule. The march was also supported by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, trade unions and trades councils and other progressive organisations from across Britain. March goers were also treated to a free weekend edition of the Morning Star newspaper from distributors.
The People’s Assembly additionally had a number of speakers at the demonstration voicing the frustrations and anger of the general public. One of the speakers was the YCL’s General Secretary, Johnnie Hunter. During his speech, Hunter said “Tenants’ organisations up and down the country have led the struggle to oppose exploitative landlords and won nationwide eviction bans. Students have waged rent strikes and occupations against universities, landlords and the other profiteers trying to squeeze every penny out of them.“
“The Black Lives Matter movement has electrified towns and cities across Britain with the fight for racial equality. Women have faced down a Tory government and their police to combat sexism, misogyny and epidemic levels of gender-based violence.”
Hunter’s speech was well received by the demonstrators, many of whom had been directly involved in the various aforementioned actions.
The People’s Assembly was launched in 2013 to oppose the current Tory cuts that have been destroying the country for over a decade now.
With the Conservative Party asleep at the wheel dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has costed the lives of over 125,000 people across the UK, the need to get rid of the Conservative government has never been more urgent.
On their website, the People’s Assembly said: “This government has made it clear it wants working people to pay for the coronavirus crisis. Its pitiful offer to the nurses, the public sector pay freeze, lack of sick pay, while contracts are granted to their friends and cronies tells you that. Meanwhile there are further subsidies to companies while we are facing mass unemployment levels when furlough ends. Employers are going on the offensive, especially with notorious fire and rehire policies -but there has been widespread opposition to this including strike action. There is visceral anger over the multitude of government failures during the pandemic, with one of the highest Covid death rates in the world. This government has failed us and this will be our first opportunity to take to the streets in opposition.”
The anger of having to jump from crisis to crisis with an incompetent Prime Minister is clear. The only thing that is certain is that resistance against the Tories must continue to protect working people in Britain.
Ben Ughetti
