Photos from student walkout, day x, weds 24th Nov, Liverpool. Photos by Kev Purdy

You tube clips to make you smile!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKFTtYx2OHc

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdsfxbuOjTQ

 

 

Bulletin 4 (28th November 2010)

“The game has changed, we are living in an era of mass protests.” (Sir Paul Stephenson, Commissioner of the Met Police)
This week has seen more protests by students and the recognition by some of the establishment that the political climate is changing (see quote above).

The Education Activists Network is calling for a second day of protests (Day X2) on Tuesday of this week and some students are still in occupation of their university/college buildings, including University of Manchester.

Here in Liverpool we have a fantastic opportunity to show our anger against the Tories this week as Michael Heseltine is visiting the city on Thursday.  He will be remembered and hated for his intervention as "Minister for Merseyside" after the Toxteth riots, when, amongst other "regeneration projects", he was responsible for the disastrous festival garden site.  During the Thatcher era he was also instrumental in the council housing sell off and the privatisation of British Coal.

Key dates for your activist diary:
Tues 30th Nov: Education Activists Network Meeting 6pm at The Picket, 61 Jordan St, Liverpool, L1 0BW
Tues 30th Nov: Merseyside Right to Work Organising Meeting 7.30pm at The Pilgrim, 34 Pilgrim Street, Liverpool, L1 9HB

Thurs 2nd Dec: Visit to Liverpool by Michael Heseltine.  Demonstre at 11.30am at Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, 1 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9HG and at 7pm at the BT Convention Centre, Kings Dock, Waterfront, Liverpool L3 4FP

Sat 11th Dec:  Merseyside Against the Cuts March and Rally (organised by Public Sector Alliance and Merseyside Trades Council) Assemble at the Metropolitan Cathedral 11am
If you know of any other events, lobbies, meetings, disputes etc. please let us know.  Also, if you have photos of any events that Right to Work has supported please email them so they can go on our blog.

When they say cutback, we say fightback.

Below is a statement released after last weeks South Sefton Trades Council meeting,

Hello everyone, last nights meeting made the Echo today – see

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/11/24/protest-over-sefton-council-job-cuts-gathers-momentum-100252-27704507/ 

Of course we are campaigning against all the public service cuts, not just those in the council, but its good coverage nonetheless. The Champion newspaper have also said they will report on the meeting too.

What we agreed last night was to support the PCS planned demonstration at Bootle Strand. We had representatives from local branches of Unite (at least 2 branches), NASUWT, PCS, RMT and FBU (any others) and would expect those branches to actively support this demonstration, and would also request the Sefton Unison branch throws its weight in too. We are awaiting a date for this now.

We know of the planned closure of St Wilfrids and two library closures were mentioned last night, my suggestion is that we invite the people involved to speak at this demonstration too.

There was also strong support for Sefton TUC (the ‘trades council’) to play a co-ordinating role locally, which is what we exist to do. Local union branches can send delegates, who are expected to represent their own unions policies so we work very much on consensus, with a suggested programme of work from the national TUC.  Branches can delegate up to 10 delegates, the fee is £15 and send a cheque and delegates names to Sefton TUC c/c South Sefton Welfare Rights/UWC, Sally Eccleston Memorial Hall, Moss Lane, Litherland, L21 7NW. Obviously with a new influx of delegates the local trade union movement will be a stronger position to play the co-ordinating role that is expected of us here with the community.

Other suggestions we have had involve calling a meeting with the Labour councillors to support them to vote against council cuts, clearly they will be under a lot of pressure and will need backing to oppose this. Also we have one of only 6 Lib Dem MP’s in the North West within our borough, John Pugh in Southport, and his surgery may be a good place to lobby.

What does everybody else think?

Best wishes

Danny

Photos from the Lib-Dem Conference protest in Liverpool

PICKET NICK CLEGG

23 November:

No Tuition Fees

No to Workfare

Venue: Kings Place, Hall 190 York Way, London, N1 9GU

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Assemble 6pm
Called by Right to Work

The Lucy Young and the Scott Trust, in association with Unlock Democracy, will host Nick Clegg at the Hugo Young Lecture on the 23^rd November.

The event has been advertised on the basis that it will be “an excellent chance for members to quiz the Deputy Prime Minister”.

Right to Work will be there to make sure Nick Clegg can hear loud and clear what we think of him.

The Con-Dems are launching an onslaught of cuts and privatisation and a vicious ideological attack on our welfare state.

It is vital that wherever the Tories and their Lib-Dem lapdogs go, they are hounded and forced to face up to the widespread rage at their blanket attack on the working class movement.

Yesterday Iain Duncan Smith was held back for an hour after speaking in Camden by a protest of local residents, Right to Work and London Campaign Against Poverty campaigners, enraged at the Con-Dems’ attempts to make the unemployed work for free.

Come along to the protest against Clegg and join the fightback!

Merseyside UAF Novmber newsletter

Merseyside Unite Against Fascism Newsletteruafliverpool@googlemail.com / 07908 202 006

1. Report - National Demo & Carnival 6 November London2. Merseyside UAF meeting, Tuesday 23rd November
3. Police drop Bolton conspiracy charges against UAF leaders

4. National Appeal for funds

 

1. Report - National Demo & Carnival 6 November London

Link to video of demo :

http://uaf.org.uk/2010/11/video-6-november-antiracist-march-and-carnival/

Full report : http://uaf.org.uk/2010/11/exuberant-demo-says-no-to-racism-fascism-islamophobia/

Text :

Saturday 6 November 2010

Exuberant demo says no to racism, fascism and Islamophobia

Around 5,000 black, white and Asian people marched through central London today in a lively and spirited demonstration against racism, fascism and Islamophobia.
The march, called by UAF and Love Music Hate Racism, was supported by the TUC and the Muslim Council of Britain. But it was the presence of large number of young people, school and university students that gave the demo its exuberant character.

Our streets

Marchers showed their opposition to the fascist British National Party and the racist thugs of the English Defence League – which particularly targets Muslims.
The demonstrators chanted: “Whose streets? Our streets” and “EDL, go to hell – take your Nazi mates as well” as the march wound out of the West End and down Whitehall to Westminster.
Along with the chanting, many danced along behind carnival floats, with music from artists supporting LMHR.

Stand together

At Westminster, the protesters heard from a range of speakers, including George Galloway, Hugh Lanning, deputy general secretary of the PCS civil service union and poet Zita Holbourne of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts.
UAF officer and LMHR national coordinator Martin Smith told the crowd that it was important for antiracists and antifascists to mobilise against the EDL. He said:
There’s a debate in the antifascist movement right now. And it’s one that says: ‘If the English Defence League comes to your town or city, stay at home, close your doors, ignore them and they’ll go away.’ I say that’s rubbish, that’s absolue rubbish. Because if you give an inch to a fascist, they’ll come back for more and more.
First it will be the veil, then it will be the mosques, then it will be your trade unions, the socialists, then LGBT people… so we do not give an inch. When they attack one community, we stand together, united.
He urged everyone to join a national mobilisation against the EDL in Luton in February.

Caught the mood

There was more music, featuring artists including radical rapper Lowkey and up-and-coming young band Flow Dem, who caught the mood with their song Racial Ting: “It’s not a racial ting, it’s a white black mixed race Asian ting!”
Speaking after the demo, UAF joint secretary Weyman Bennett said:
Thousands of people turned out on a very lively demo to show they reject racism, fascism and Islamophobia. Now we need to build on that success, building bigger local groups and setting up new ones around the country.
We will also be mobilising for a national counter-demonstration against the EDL in Luton on 5 February 2011.

2. Merseyside UAF Meeting - Wednesday 29 September 7pm, Tuesday 23rd November
Casa, Hope Street, Liverpool

This meeting is open to all Merseyside Unite Against Fascism supporters and members, so please come along.  This is your opportunity to get involved and have your say on how we should move our campaign forward at a local level.

3. Police drop Bolton conspiracy charges against UAF leaders

The police have dropped all charges against leading UAF members Weyman Bennett and Rhetta Moran arising from the demonstration against the racist English Defence League in March.

Unprecedented charges

Weyman, who is joint national secretary of UAF, and Rhetta, joint secretary of Greater Manchester UAF, were both arrested on the demo and faced potential charges of conspiracy to incite violent disorder – an offence that could carry a substantial jail term.
Antifascist campaigners argued that this unprecedented use of conspiracy laws was a threat not just to the right to protest against fascism, but could curtail the right to any public protest in a serious blow to civil liberties.
But all charges against the two have now been dropped.
Weyman said:
This is a victory for antifascists and for the right to protest. It is a disgrace that police were prepared to use such charges against antifascists and antiracists. I’m proud to say that the threat of these charges has not deterred any of us from continuing to stand up against the EDL – racist thugs with fascists in their midst.
>> For more, see justice4bolton

  

4. National Appeal for Funds - Help Us Raise £60,000
 UAF has been at the forefront of campaigning against the EDL - we have organised 30 mobilisations against them over the past year. We have also campaigned against the fascist BNP, printing and distributing millions of leaflets and getting out on the knocker to beat back the Nazis at the elections.

But all this costs money - we urgently need YOUR help to keep up the campaign against the racists and fascists!

Go to uaf.org.uk/join-donate and sign up as a solidarity member to make a regular contribution.
  

In solidarity

Michelle Smith

Merseyside Unite Against Fascismuafliverpool@googlemail.com / 07785265298
 

LIVERPOOL PROTEST AGAINST UNIVERSITY CUTS AND FEES

	Wednesday, November 24 · 12:00pm - 11:00pm

This event is part of a national walkout and day of action against the proposed massive raise in tuition fees, cuts to education and removal of EMA by the coalition govenment.


***
National walkout event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=134751449911080


***
We encourage all students (be it school, college or university) to walk out of lessons on Wednesday 24th November and join the protest in the city centre. Any non-students who agree that education is a right not a privilege should also join the protest.

When they say cut back, we say fight back!!

***
Download leaflet: http://anticuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/walkout.pdf
**
Rally outside Guild of Students, Mount Pleasant - SPEAKERS TBC - followed by a march through the city centre to the Town Hall.
***
This is a peaceful protest.

STOP THE RACIST ENGLISH DEFENCE LEAGUE IN PRESTON

On Saturday 27 November the racist English Defence League intend to hold a protest in the centre of Preston. Where the EDL march and assemble unopposed they have launched attacks on minority and Muslim communities. In Dudley, Nuneaton and Stoke their presence led to vicious assaults on people because of the colour of their skin.

We cannot let this happen in Preston.

We are calling on all anti-racists and all anti-fascists to join us in the centre of Preston to celebrate our multi-cultural city, to assert our commitment to anti-racism and to let the EDL know they are not welcome here.

Join the Protest

No to the EDL, No to Racism, No to Fascism and No Islamophobia 

Saturday 27 November

12 noon

Preston Fish Market (covered market, Burley St)

(called by Preston Unite Against Fascism & Preston Trades Council)

We are taking a coach to this important protest

Coach from Liverpool : 10.30am Hardman Street, Liverpool

Tickets are £12 waged, £5 unwaged.

Please contact us directly at liverpool@uaf.org.uk or phone 07908 202 006 to book seats asap.

Additional tickets will be in News from Nowhere, Bold Street from Saturday.

“The world is a dangerous place to live in; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
Albert Einstein – refugee from Nazi Germany

peace, love and unity
Alan
Merseyside Unite Against Fascismliverpool@uaf.org.uk
07908 202 006http://www.uaf.org.uk/

Future meetings and events

Hi All

Wednesday's demonstration against the proposed changes to higher education attracted 50,000 people which is a huge number.  This is being seen as the start of the fightback.  The largest teachers' union, NUT, has announced a ballot for strike action, after Christmas, over the proposed pension changes.  The union is looking to organise action with other public sector unions but it is significant that this is the first proposed national strike action since the ConDem government took power.

At the organising meeting on Tuesday we can discuss our next moves, especially within education.

Tue 16 Nov: Merseyside Right to Work Organising Meeting 7.30pm The Pilgrim Pub, 34 Pilgrim St, Liverpool, L1 9HB

Sat 20 Nov: workshop on benefits - this is a new group that is looking to teach people where to get reliable information about the benefits system so they can get more confident about making their own claims and running their own appeals.  They are meeting at 11am-1pm in the Social Centre, basement of News from Nowhere, Bold Street, Liverpool. Their website is  http://claimandcampaign.wordpress.com/

Wed 24 Nov: a walkout by students in higher and further education is being proposed.  For more details see website: http://anticuts.com/2010/10/18/walkout/

Agenda for Tuesday:

1) What next - how do we capitalise on the students' and lecturers' anger?

2) Local campaigns

3) Right to Work on the Wirral

4) AOB

When they say cutback, we say fightback.

In solidarity,

Debs Gwynn

Convenor, Merseyside Right to Work