DPAC take Pants to IDS: Wednesday 4th September 2013 was the final day of every week of motion by Disabled Folks In opposition to Cuts (DPAC) towards the assaults by the coalition Tory authorities on the poor and disabled. I photographed protests exterior the Dept of Well being, Dept of Vitality and Local weather Change and the Dept of Schooling within the morning, after which a mixed ‘Pants to IDS’ demonstration on the Dept for Work & Pensions within the afternoon. Between the these I additionally lined a rally in Parliament Sq. by UK Dalits protesting the failure of the federal government to outlaw caste discrimination within the UK; authorities insurance policies on this difficulty appear to be dictated by their high-caste Hindu donors.
DPAC Picket Ministries
DPAC was fashioned by disabled to provide a voice to disabled people who find themselves so usually patronised and marginalised, regardless of many being very smart and articulate and clearly having the ability to converse from expertise. As customers of companies they know higher than the extremely paid consultants and cronies that governments appear to want to depend on to provide the solutions they need.
On the Ministry of Well being in Whitehall round 50 disablement activists held a protest “to defend our NHS and demand our proper to ranges of social care help enabling alternative, management, dignity and independence.” There have been banners, posters, placards, speeches and songs, together with ‘Citizen Good’ (Alan Good) and Adeola Johnson, who sang her ‘Basic Strike’
The protest there was persevering with once I went on to the Division of Vitality and Local weather Change and joined these “offended concerning the numbers of disabled individuals residing in gasoline poverty whereas the power corporations rake in ever rising income” to listen to extra speeches and songs.
There have been individuals holding a banner throughout the door which seemed to be blocked. Once more I left earlier than the top, catching a bus to the following of the 4 preliminary venues.
The temper on the Dept of Schooling was angrier, with a bunch crowding across the single doorway shouting and arguing with a person refusing them entry. They stored asking for both somebody from the division to return out and talk about their protest towards authorities assaults on inclusive training and a return to segregation or for a delegation to be allowed in to ship their manifesto.
After I left three individuals had been allowed to take the manifesto in, and had been instructed that they could be allowed again to debate it later within the week. There was so a protest on the Dept of Transport however I used to be too late by the point I arrived there.
Extra at DPAC Picket Ministries.
DPAC take Pants to IDS – Dept for Work & Pensions
The pavement exterior the Dept of Work and Pensions was slightly crowded with roughly 100 protesters together with reporters and round 35 assorted wheelchairs and mobility automobiles.
They listened intently to speeches by Sean McGovern, co-chair of the TUC’s disabled staff’ committee, John McArdle of the Black Triangle Marketing campaign (named after the image the Nazi’s compelled these they thought of “asocial” or “workshy” to put on) and Richard Reiser, co ordinator for UK Incapacity Historical past Month, together with a number of from DPAC members.
There have been performances by Heydon Prowse as a person in a white swimsuit and with a 3 piece gospel choir performing a bit about Atos miracles which certify the lifeless and dying as ‘match for work’.
A deputation let to ship a replica of the UK Disabled Folks’s Manifesto: Reclaiming Our Futures which was to be launched at a gathering within the Home of Commons later within the day to Downing St. Analysis exhibits that “disabled individuals are being disproportionately impacted by the cuts with these with essentially the most complicated ranges of help want being hit by austerity nineteen instances tougher than the common particular person.”
The manifesto was produced by disabled individuals and their organisations and units out the important thing rules, calls for and commitments which are necessary to deaf and disabled individuals. MPs had been reminded that “With round 1 in 5 of the inhabitants being disabled and lots of extra affected by incapacity as household, associates and carers or just as residents who care about social justice, coverage and pledges on incapacity can be a key concern of many citizens as we method the following election.”
Because the deputation left, Andy Greene of DPAC opened the massive bag he had been carrying round all day. He reminded us that Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) had his issues too (earlier McArdle had described him much less sympathetically as “the psychopath that’s the minister on this workplace“.)
One in all IDS’s issues had been over housing, however had been solved when his daddy-in-law had given him the mansion the place DPAC activists had visited him for a protest on his very good garden, and one other was apparently with some very private gadgets.
Again in 2003, certainly one of his senior aides gave proof to a Home of Commons Committee that he had claimed bills from the taxpayer for – amongst different gadgets – his underwear. So right here within the bag had been plenty of pants for IDS, and we had been invited to personalise them with a message saying what we considered his insurance policies, after which they may very well be pegged up on a washing line between the lamp posts exterior the ministry. Not one of the feedback had been optimistic however there have been just some that had been match to {photograph} and print.
Extra footage DPAC take Pants to IDS
Finish UK Caste Discrimination Now – Parliament Sq.
Between the DPAC protests I additionally photographed a protest by among the estimated 200-400,000 decrease caste Dalits (previously referred to as untouchables) residing within the UK. Though the Home of Lords had twice voted for caste discrimination to be included in equalities regulation, and part 9 of the Equality Act 2010 requires the Authorities to introduce secondary laws to incorporate it underneath race, the federal government continues to collapse to high-cast Hindu objections to doing so. Though unlawful in India, it’s nonetheless widespread there, and lots of within the UK have additionally endure abuse due to their caste. However rich Hindus are massive donors to the Conservative Celebration (and doubtless now to Starmer’s Labour.)
I wrote extra about this on My London Diary and there are a number of extra footage at Finish UK Caste Discrimination Now.
Tags: Andy Greene, profit cuts, Black Triangle, caste discrimination, clothesline, clothes line, cuts, Dalits, Dept for Work & Pensions, Dept of Schooling, Dept of Vitality and Local weather Change, Dept of Well being, disabled, Disabled Folks In opposition to Cuts, Disabled Folks’s Manifesto, disabled staff, DPAC, equality regulation, Heydon Prowse, Hindu objections, Hindus, Iain Duncan Smith, IDS, John McArdle, London, NHS, pants, peter Marshall, poor, protest, Reclaiming Our Futures, Richard Reiser, Sean McGovern, social care, Tory donors, underwear, washing line
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