TUC Pensions March & Company Greed – On Wednesday thirtieth November 2011 public sector staff throughout the nation held a one-day strike in opposition to authorities plans to chop public service pensions with pickets at hundreds of workplaces and rallies and marches in cities and cities throughout the nation in addition to a South East TUC organised march in Central London which I photographed. Later within the afternoon I went with Occupy London protesters who occupied the places of work of the very best paid CEO within the UK to protest in opposition to company greed.
TUC Nov 30 March – Lincolns Inn Fields to Westminster
It’s at all times onerous to estimate the numbers on very massive marches corresponding to this one however it was very massive and once I arrived at Lincoln’s Inn Fields the big house already appeared fairly crowded an hour earlier than the march was because of begin. Many individuals gave up making an attempt to get in waited to affix the march on Kingsway.
On the entrance of the march have been Frances O’Grady, Deputy Normal Secretary of the TUC, NASUWT president John Rimmer (under) and different commerce unionists. Many different teams had include banners.
There have been many placards suggesting methods to keep away from the cuts, together with by taxing the mega-rich and slicing the pointless and wasteful expenditure on Trident slightly than job’s well being and training.
A number of the college students on the march felt it was going to sluggish and commenced to march in entrance of the primary banner.
Police stopped them and held up the entire of the march at Aldwych however then didn’t appear to know what to do. Ultimately they simply let issues go forward.
I took lots of photos of the Training Activist Community who have been the liveliest a part of the protest however there have been loads of others to {photograph} too with many fascinating hand-made posters.
I finished for fairly some time to {photograph} marchers as they went previous.
and so they have been nonetheless coming in massive numbers an hour after the entrance of the march had handed me.
I used to be nonetheless on the Embankment with marchers when the rally had begun nearer to Parliament and folks have been nonetheless rolling in. I feel there have been most likely between 20 and 30,000 collaborating, however it was onerous to know and I feel many who had been on picket traces early within the morning had left earlier than the rally started. I left too to satisfy with folks from Occupy London.
Extra photos on My London Diary at TUC Nov 30 March.
Occupy London Expose Company Greed – Piccadilly Circus & Panton Home
Occupy London had referred to as folks to satisfy at Piccadilly Circus at 3pm however had not indicated what can be taking place subsequent. I arrived to seek out round 100 protesters there together with fairly just a few Greek soccer supporters and numerous police standing round watching them.
We stood within the intermittent rain for round half an hour ready for one thing to occur. At 3.30pm round 30 folks rushed throughout the highway to face exterior a department of Boots with the ‘Precarious Staff Brigade’ banner, however made no try to enter the shop which rapidly lowered its steel shutters.
Police rushed throughout the road to encompass them, however quickly grew to become clear that this had merely been a diversion, as others near Eros unfolded their lengthy essential ‘All Energy to the 99%’ banner and rushed down Haymarket with it catching the police without warning and leaving them behind.
I used to be working forward of them, taking photos over my shoulder and managing to maintain forward, however the police have been properly behind as we reached Panton St.
Right here the protesters set off a shiny orange flare, turned down Panton Avenue and rushed into Panton Home. I adopted the group with the primary banner inside, however stupidly stopped within the lobby to take photos via the glass frontage of the flares exterior.
I used to be just a little behind because the protesters ran up the steps and slightly out of breath after working alongside the road. By the point I reached the third or fourth touchdown I had determined to surrender and pressed the button for a carry. Police arrived simply because the carry got here and one officer grabbed me stopping me from getting in.
Police instructed us all to go downstairs, however round 20 of the protesters and some press had reached the roof. I made my method down, although it was troublesome as extra police speeding up pushed these of us happening out of the way in which.
The police had now surrounded the doorway, stopping any extra folks getting into, however have been permitting us to exit. I used to be happy to get out as a result of the air inside had been thick with the orange smoke and I had been choking barely, Smoke flares aren’t supposed for indoor use.
A bit of again on Haymarket by the aspect of the constructing protesters exterior have been collaborating in a mike chat group chant to tell passers-by what was happening. From this I learnt that Panton Home comprises the London places of work of the mining firm Xstrata, whose CEO Mick Davies they are saying is the very best paid CEO within the UK, and “is a main instance of the grasping 1% lining their very own pockets whereas denying staff pensions.”
Police started to encompass them and I rapidly moved away as they kettled the protesters, and in addition to get a greater view of what was taking place on the roof. TI had missed seeing the ‘All Energy to the 99%’ banner being let down over Haymarket earlier however noticed them making an attempt to take action once more however being dragged away from the sting. Extra police vans have been now arriving and I made a decision there can be little else I might see and left.
Extra at Occupy London Expose Company Greed.
Tags: All Energy to the 99%, austerity, b anner drop, banner, Boots, CEO Mick Davies, company greed, lower Trident, cuts, diversion, Training Activist Community, Frances O’Grady, grasping 1%, Haymarket, John Rimmer, kettle, kettled, London, march, Mick Davies, mining firm, NASUWT, nurses, occupy london, Panton Home, pensions, pensions justice, peter Marshall, Peter Tatchell, Piccadilly Circus, police, Precarious Staff Brigade, protest, public providers, rooftop protest, SERTUC, smoke flare, stains, college students, tax the mega-rich, TUC march, XStrata
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