*UNDER CONSTRUCTION* Signal-boosting #ToryBritain truths to the nation. Helping YOU be part of the fightback.
From the Independent: Bruised and still shaken, Janet Barker is incredulous at the violent reaction of the Foreign Office minister Mark Field to her peaceful protest with fellow Greenpeace activists at the chancellor’s Mansion House speech.
From the Morning Star: Over 1,000 pensioners took to the streets across Britain on Friday to protest against the withdrawal of TV licence funding for over-75s.
From The Independent: Expenses cheat MP Chris Davies has been stripped of his seat, plunging the next Conservative leader into a perilous by-election. A recall petition easily cleared the 10 per cent threshold for triggering a by-election, with 19 per cent of local voters – a total of 10,005 people – demanding Mr Davies be removed.
From The Independent: Conservative MP Mark Field has been filmed manhandling a climate change protester who interrupted Philip Hammond‘s Mansion House speech.
From Disability News Service: Disabled activists were locked inside the Department for Work and Pensions’ headquarters by security guards as they delivered thousands of copies of a newspaper that feature “deliberately misleading” DWP adverts which “whitewash” the truth about universal credit.
From The Guardian: Monday’s Commons debate on Theresa May’s decision to call off her Brexit vote ended in high drama as a Labour MP seized the ceremonial mace in protest.
The mace represents the Queen’s authority in parliament; without it, parliament cannot meet or pass laws.
As the government formally declared it would not continue with the debate on the withdrawal agreement, Lloyd Russell-Moyle marched forward to grab the mace in protest and held it up in the centre of the chamber to widespread outrage from the Tory benches.
Conservative MPs shouted “Disgrace” and “Expel him” as he raised the five-foot silver gilt object aloft.
This is the moment Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle picks up the mace and walks it over the line during proceedings in the…
Posted by The Guardian on Monday, December 10, 2018
From Morning Star: A Windrush National Day of Action will be held next year to press the Tory government to fulfil its pledges to Commonwealth-born British citizens who have suffered as a result of heavy-handed immigration policies.
The day will coincide with the United Nations International Day for Social Justice on Saturday February 23, it was announced at the second national Windrush conference that was held over the weekend.
Windrush action groups have demanded a public inquiry into the Windrush scandal that saw the government being forced to apologise after British citizens were deported, detained and threatened with removal, as well as losing their jobs, benefits and right to use the NHS.
Chair of the conference David Weaver said: “The government needs to recognise the anger, tragedy and despair caused by this unprecedented and gross violation of black British citizens’ human rights.
“This conference puts the government on notice that victims will not be silenced or intimidated by the racism they’ve faced. On the contrary, both Windrush victims and the country at large are rightly appalled at the treatment they’ve been forced to endure.”
From Daily Mirror: Hundreds of activists caused major disruption in a mass Extinction Rebellion demonstration on London bridges, as they brought attention to environmental issues.
From The Guardian: Twenty-two people were arrested after protesters daubed the windows of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in London and blocked passing traffic in an effort to provoke society into action over climate change.
One protester climbed above the revolving doors of the main entrance of the building in Westminster and wrote “frack off” in black spray paint, and another sprayed the extinction symbol in red on windows facing traffic on Victoria Street.
A spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, the group that coordinated the demonstration, said their members used spray chalk, which washes off.
During the day, protesters superglued themselves to card-entry gates inside the staff entrance to the building, and lay down outside in Victoria Street blocking westbound traffic.
The protest was the first in a series continuing throughout the week and culminating with a mass civil disobedience action on Saturday, which activists are calling “rebellion day”
From Bored Panda: After another cyclist friend was injured by potholes, Wanksy, an artist from Greater Manchester, England, decided to act. He used washable paint to draw penises around potholes in his neighbourhood, and suddenly, they were repaired in 48 hours.
“People will drive over the same pothole and forget about it.
“Suddenly you draw something amusing around it, everyone sees it and it either gets reported or fixed.”
From Daily Mirror: Protesters interrupted the closing passages of the Chancellor’s Budget speech to protest against pension inequality.
From Freedom News: Last Wednesday about 40 activists from Disabled People Against Cuts gathered to protest at the Tory party Conference and bring attention to the continuous attacks they have faced for the last 8 years. The activists came from many parts of the country including Brighton, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Berkshire, London, Manchester, Norfolk, Northampton, Preston Stafford, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton, Castle Bromwich and Birmingham. As part of the protest, the tram tracks on Corporation Street in the city centre were blocked.
“Since our first march against Tory austerity cuts in 2010 thousands of disabled people have been killed by the Tory’s policies and mindless cruelty- the action call out reads– Thousands more have lost vital funding for independent living support and are either trapped in care homes or their own homes. Continent disabled people have been refused the human support they need to go to the toilet and instead been left with packs of incontinence pads. Others are being charged into further poverty as local authorities hike up their charges for social care.”
The Wednesday’s action was largely ignored by the media. It is however important to remember that disabled people have borne the brunt of cuts both to their living standards and to the right to live independently in the community following savage cuts to social care budgets and the closure of the Independent Living Fund.
From The Guardian: The Guardian spends the day getting to know the people Donald Trump tried to avoid during his visit to the UK. More than 100,000 people travelled to London from around the country to protest against the US president, according to the organisers of the two marches that converged on Trafalgar Square.
From Morning Star: Campaigners from the We Own It group held a “splashmob” in London today to demand the return of the England’s water industry to public ownership after nearly 30 years of privatisation.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, shadow chancellor John McDonnell, Green MP and co-leader Caroline Lucas and Derby North Labour MP Chris Williamson tweeted in support of the campaign. It is also backed by unions Unite, GMB and Unison.
Campaigners held a “circus of privatised water” on London’s Southbank — a splashmob highlighting the failures of the water profiteers.
We Own It director Cat Hobbs said: “Water belongs to us in the first place and should never have been privatised. 83 per cent of us want to take our water back. The only question is when and how.
From The Guardian: Tens of thousands of people have marched through London to mark the NHS’s 70th anniversary and demand an end to government cuts to the health service, of which large swathes have been privatised in recent years.
Bearing placards reading “Cuts leave scars”, “For people not profit” and “Democracy or corporate power” demonstrators moved down Whitehall to the chant of “Who’s NHS, our NHS”.
They stopped outside Downing Street to demand Theresa May’s resignation en route to the stage where Jeremy Corbyn and others were due to speak on Saturday afternoon.
A festival atmosphere permeated the crowd, although the anger towards the government’s NHS policy was palpable.
The organisers estimated that around 40,000 people had turned out and taken to the streets for the NHS 70 March, which proceeded down Regent Street to the thump of a marching band.
Fantastic direct action by Lorna Rees against her constituency MP Christopher Chope, following his action in blocking a Commons bill to make upskirting a specific offence.
I’ve just left these outside the constituency office of my MP Christopher Chope. No one should be able to photo my pants unless I want them to. #christopherchope #knickerstochope @bournemouthecho @guardian
Posted by Lorna Rees on Saturday, June 16, 2018
BREAKING: Five grandparents locked on inside the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. They’re…
Posted by Reclaim The Power on Wednesday, June 13, 2018
From Gloucestershire Live: Protesters were out in force in Gloucester city centre on Saturday as part of a ‘national day of action’ in opposition to Universal Credit, the controversial new benefits system that will be rolled-out across Gloucestershire in February.
The protest was organised by the local Unite branch, part of Britain’s biggest union, and saw campaigners deliver soapbox speeches outside the Guildhall on Eastgate Street.
Sue Powell, a Unite Community Activist said ‘the effect of Universal Credit will be felt for years to come’.
She said: “Universal Credit is a failed system. Seven million households will be affected by the introduction of Universal Credit, including over one million low paid or part-time workers, as well as the growing number of self-employed.
From Channel 4 News: “How many thousands have died? How many more need to die, before people wake up and realise? I feel intimidated, I feel victimised, I feel worthless. And I have no future, I can’t see a future for a lot of people” says one protester.
All of the food piled up in the protest next to Downing Street was on its way to food banks.
Anti-austerity protesters pile up food at Downing Street
These protesters piled up mountains of food at the top of Downing Street to draw attention to the impact of austerity.The Chancellor said in today's Budget that he's "helping families to cope with the cost of living".
Posted by Channel 4 News on Wednesday, November 22, 2017
From Sky News: Protesters in wheelchairs blocked the MPs’ entrance to the Commons chamber in a demonstration over Tory cuts to benefits.
Disabled People Against Cuts protesters chanted “no justice, no peace” as they gathered in the Central Lobby.
Police formed a line at the entrance to the Members’ Lobby as demonstrators demanded to speak to MPs.
The group said they wanted to end cuts to social care and demanded the independent living fund be reintroduced.
“This is a message to Theresa May – while we have no justice, you will have no peace,” the demonstrators chanted.
“No more deaths from benefit cuts,” they added.