Whittington, Syria and St Patrick – Saturday sixteenth March 2013 noticed me travelling round London to cowl three occasions, beginning at a march in opposition to hospital cuts, then a march supporting the Syrian revoltuion on its second anniversary and eventually an Irish parade on the day earlier than St Patrick’s Day.
Whittington Hospital March Towards Cuts – Highbury & Islington
Dick Whittington, extra formally Sir Richard Whittington (c1354 – 1423) was 4 instances Lord Mayor of London and did so much for the medieval metropolis, together with financing drainage techniques in its poorer areas and organising a hospital ward for single moms and leaving his appreciable fortune to arrange a charity which nonetheless 600 years later helps these in want.
He made his fortune as a mercer, importing luxurious materials corresponding to silk and velvet and exporting English woollen fabric and later as a cash lender to rich noblemen and kings. It isn’t clear if he ever had a cat, however the legend about him fleeing London with one and turning again when he heard Bow Bells from Highgate Hill first made it to print in 1612.
The Whittington Stone was positioned on the foot of Highgate Hill in 1821, although earlier it had been the bottom of a cross there; it solely gained a cat on high in 1964. However Whittington’s title is remembered in quite a few pubs throughout the nation, together with The Whittington & Cat on Highgate Hill, which closed in 2014. Islington Council and native residents fought to maintain it, and prevented its demolition in 2012 by declaring it to be an asset of neighborhood worth, but it surely turned a flooring store.
Extra importantly Whittington’s title turned that of the foremost hospital shaped when earlier hospitals on three close by websites had been amalgamated when the Nationwide Well being Service was shaped in 1948.
Three years earlier than this march, enormous native oppositin had compelled the cancellation of plans to finish Accident and Emergency, Paediatrics, Maternity and Intensive Care on the Whittington Hospital, however now it was threatened once more by a brand new hospital belief with plans to scale back maternity companies, shut wards, present fewer beds for the aged, minimize 570 jobs privatise some companies and unload round a 3rd of the positioning, closing all onsite lodging for nursing employees.
I met a number of thousand protesters near Highbury & Islington Station the place they had been making ready to march to a rally outdoors the hospital. Amongst these marching had been native MPs, Inexperienced Celebration Chief Natalie Bennett, Bruce Kent and varied movie star supporters of the marketing campaign, in addition to the really outstanding Hetty Bower, born in 1905, who turned a pacifist on the time of the ‘Nice Struggle’, and took half within the 1926 Common Strike.
You’ll be able to learn extra concerning the occasion and see my photos of lots of the marchers on My London Diary. I left the march shortly after it began to go to my subsequent occasion.
Whittington Hospital March Towards Cuts.
Syria – Two Years Struggle for Freedom
I arrived outdoors the Syrian Embassy in Belgrave Sq. whereas the rally earlier than the march was going down with members of the Syrian Group in Britain talking.
Many of the speeches and chanting weren’t in English, and the Free Syria marketing campaign seems to have little help from the British left who might need been anticipated to help their freedom battle. There have been a number of protests firstly, however typically confused and primarily opposing any involvement in Syria by British forces.
The Syrian revolution in opposition to the Assad regime had additionally obtained little precise help from the UK Authorities and US help appeared halfhearted. When Assad started utilizing chemical weapons in opposition to the Syrian insurgent held areas there was sturdy condemnation however no motion and any threats quickly melted away as soon as Russia turned concerned in supporting Assad.
One of many placards carried by marchers included a query which now appears significantly related in view of what has been occurring in Gaza: ‘Hey World, How Many Children Ought to Be Killed Earlier than You Do One thing?’
I walked with the marchers on their method to Downing Avenue so far as the Hyde Park underpass the place it seemed spectacular because it made its method below the Hyde Park underpass, pretty densely packed and with flags waving it unfold broad throughout the highway, stretching again into Wilton Place over 200 yards away. Then left for Willesden Inexperienced.
Syria – Two Years Struggle for Freedom
St Patrick’s Parade Brent – Willesden Inexperienced
For a number of years I had loved the Brent St Patrick’s Day parade, typically going along with pals together with John Benton-Harris who had photographed St Patrick’s Day right here and throughout the USA in addition to in Eire over a few years. The parade in Brent, often on the day itself, had all the time appeared somewhat extra authentically Irish than the bigger London parade held on the closest Sunday since Ken Livingstone launched it in 2002 and I made some photos.
Brent Council had a superb report of supporting cultural occasions celebrating its varied communities together with the Irish, however with authorities cuts since 2010 now not had the funds to take action.
This 12 months too, the primary London occasion was going down the next day, St Patrick’s Day itself, so the Brent occasion was on the day earlier than. So the crowds had been somewhat thinner than in earlier years, and the poor climate could have put some off too.
Extra photos at St Patrick’s Parade Brent.
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Tags: A&E, Assad regime, Belgrave Sq., Brent concil, Bruce Kent, council cuts, minimize jobs, Dick Whittington, Free Syria, Hetty Bower, Highgate Hill, Jeremy Corbyn, London, London Photographs, march, March Towards Cuts, Maternity, Natalie Bennett, NHS, NHS cuts, peter Marshall, privatisation, privatise, protest, St Patrick, St Patrick’s Day parade, Syrian Embassy, Syrian revolution, Whittington Hospital, Whittington Stone, Willesden Inexperienced
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