Zuma, Boat Dwellers, Syria & Latin Village: Saturday eighth April 2017 was one other diverse day for me in London with protests towards South African President Zuma, the Canal & River Belief, chemical warfare in Syra and towards the deliberate demolition of the most important Latin American neighborhood market in England.
Zuma Should Go – Trafalgar Sq.
South Africans residing within the UK had come to protest exterior the South African Excessive Fee after President Zuma sacked the Finance Minister and his deputy.
They accuse Zuma and the African Nationwide Congress authorities of wrecking the South African economic system and say that “Zuma should fall”.
Police had set obstacles exterior the Excessive Fee for the protest and the protesters have been so densely packed into the realm that it was very troublesome to maneuver round an take images.
It was a vibrant protest and definitely demonstrated the anger of these participating however the ANC would nonetheless stay the main social gathering and if Zuma resigned he would get replaced by one other ANC chief.
Zuma did lastly go, changed by Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 due to the growing allegations of corruption and cronyism and in 2021 was given a 15 month contempt of court docket sentence for refusing to testify. Ramaphosa can also be a controversial determine with varied allegations of corruption, and as as London Platinum non-executive director urged the police to take the motion which result in the police bloodbath at Marikana on August 16, 2012 which result in the deaths of 44 miners and over 70 extra with critical accidents.
The elections subsequent month, Could 2024 are anticipated to be the primary because the finish of apartheid in 1994 through which the ANC is not going to achieve over 50% of the vote and the nation might get a coalition authorities. Zuma who has now joined the opposition Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) social gathering has been banned from standing within the election however has appealed the ban.
Boat dwellers battle evictions – Embankment Gardens
Boat dwellers held a rally in Embankment Gardens earlier than marching to Downing St and DEFRA to demand the Canal & River Belief (CRT) stops evicting or threatening to evict boat dwellers with out everlasting moorings.
The say the British Waterways Act 1995 consists of the best to reside on a ship with no everlasting mooring and that the CRT is appearing illegally in evicting or threatening to evict boat dwellers.
Though boats could be required to maneuver after 14 days at a mooring, the regulation requires at the very least 28 days discover and doesn’t lay down restrictions on the space boats have to maneuver or that they need to be making a “progressive journey.”
Among the audio system on the rally had horror tales about boats being seized and different unlawful actions by the trust, a charity arrange in 2012 to take care of the canals and navigable rivers.
Boat dwellers additionally oppose the plans being made for chargeable bookable moorings and wish the belief to take care of the canals correctly. The rally was nonetheless persevering with once I wanted to go away.
Boat dwellers battle evictions
March In opposition to Chemical Warfare in Syria – Marble Arch
RefugEase and Syria Solidarity Marketing campaign had organised this march calling on the UK Authorities to guard civilians in Syria.
President Assad’s forces used Sarin nerve agent three years earlier at Ghouta, and some days earlier than the protest there had been one other assault utilizing Sarin at Khan Sheikhoon close to Idlib on April 4th.
The West’s response to the Syrian Revolution has been complicated and largely ineffectual. The US and Turkey inspired and aided the establishing of an Islamic state and allowed it to export oil to finance its operations – and later the US gave air help to the Kurds to defeat ISIS. And though there have been robust phrases over using chemical weapons at Ghouta, there was no actual motion. Nor has their been any opposition to the invasion and occupation of huge elements of Syria by Turkish forces.
The march to Downing St started at Marble Arch and I walked with it down Oxford Road so far as Oxford Circus Station the place I caught the Victoria Line to Seven Sisters.
In opposition to Chemical Warfare in Syria
Human Chain at Latin Village – Seven Sisters
The indoor market subsequent to Seven Sisters station in South Tottenham had been reinvigorated lately by the native Latin American neighborhood and had turn out to be the most important Latin American neighborhood market in England.
A part of the positioning at Ward’s Nook has been derelict for some years and the native authority, Haringey Council, desires to demolish the who block along with property builders which might convert it to costly flats and chain shops, profiting traders on the expense of the neighborhood.
In 2008 the neighborhood gained the help of London Mayor Boris Johnson who wrote to the council asking them to evaluate the scheme. However the council have been decided to go forward together with property developer Grainger PLC and issued a obligatory buy order in 2016 which was lastly accredited by the secretary of state for housing, communities, and native authorities James Brokenshire in 2019.
The neighborhood within the space had been preventing since 2002 to avoid wasting the Latin Village from this social cleaning and gentrification and on Saturday eighth April 2017 held a pageant there. The speeches and performances paused for everybody to hitch fingers in a human chain round 1 / 4 of a mile lengthy round the entire block.
In 2020 Transport for London who had taken over the administration of the indoor market closed it down. However in 2021 Grainger PLC withdrew from the plans for the positioning. You may learn extra concerning the Wards Nook Neighborhood Plan on-line. The Neighborhood Profit Society was launched in 2022 and deliberate to reopen the positioning in 2024.
Many extra photos at Human Chain at Latin Village
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Tags: ANC, Boat Dwellers, British Waterways Act, Canal & River Belief, chemical assaults, Chemical Warfare, evictions, pageant, Ghouta, human chain, Latin American pageant, Latin Village, London, London Photographs, march, everlasting moorings, peter Marshall, President Zuma, protest, Sarin nerve agent, Seven Sisters, South Africans, Syria, Syria Solidarity Marketing campaign, Syrian genocide, Wards Nook, Wards Nook Neighborhood Plan, Zuma, Zuma should fall
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