At the start of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, people have rallied against the party. And those attending made it clear that they were “united against the Tories”.
Assembling the people
The anti-austerity group People’s Assembly is holding a “Festival of Resistance” from 2-5 October in Manchester. Talks and workshops are happening across the four days, along with live music and other performances. People’s Assembly is running these in a marquee at Piccadilly Gardens. Events include:
- “Drive to Survive” – members of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community in conversation with Shami Chakrabarti over the Tories’ police bill.
- “Where next” for the NHS and social care?
- A “wall of sound” noise protest outside the Tory conference on 4 October.
- Corbyn in conversation with Guardian journalist Gary Younge.
- The group Women Will Not Be Silenced talking about ‘rebel women and the importance of protest’.
But the main event was a protest on 3 October. And it appeared to be well-supported.
Disrupting the Tory conference
Crowds began to gather from around 12pm at this national demo. It started near Whitworth Park. People’s Assembly used the hashtag #UnitedAgainstTheTories. It reported that “thousands” turned out to march:
Despite fuel lockdown it’s building nice in Manchester. Come down#unitedagainstthetories #johnsonlies #johnsonout #borisout #takebackmcr @pplsassembly @counterfireorg @corbyn_project @socialistcam @socialistsunday @TheCanaryUK pic.twitter.com/loaA93tyix
— Cabinet-Millionaires (@cabinetmillion) October 3, 2021
Groups at the protest included the:
- Young Greens wing of the Green Party.
- The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union.
- Unison.
- The National Education Union (NEU).
- Unite the Union.
- The Communication Workers Union (CWU).
The Young Communist League and some Marxist groups were also there:
Impressive showing from the young communist league. #UnitedAgainstTheTories pic.twitter.com/cZHm759Gbf
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) October 3, 2021
“Johnson’s a wasteman”
Councillors and MPs from Manchester also turned out to march. And the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community was there; not least because of the persecution they face from the Tories’ Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill:
@Drive2Survive3 GRT community horses and wagons leading the front of the protest in Manchester! 🐴❤️
Our movement is beautifully diverse. An attack on any of us is an attack on all of us. We are #UnitedAgainstTheTories pic.twitter.com/WBlPZHj8jA
— People's Assembly (@pplsassembly) October 3, 2021
Chants of “Boris Johnson’s a wasteman” rang out:
On the move! “Boris Johnson’s a waste man!” 🎶🙏 #UnitedAgainstTheTories #ToriesOut @PplsAssemblyMcr @pplsassembly @counterfireorg pic.twitter.com/wFEk50rFwt
— Pat Fulgoni 🎤🎶 (@patfulgoni) October 3, 2021
Groups like Unite Community were also there, calling on the Tories to cancel the £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit. The PCS Union band provided musical accompaniment for the marchers:
The famous PCS union band near Deansgate. Manchester #UnitedAgainstTheTories #toriesout @pcs_union pic.twitter.com/w2yBIxKc6f
— Tony Wilson UNISON NEC member NW Region (@Tony2Wilson) October 3, 2021
There was a police presence and the predictable “evidence gatherers” were snooping around. Meanwhile, police also appeared to be blocking the road that led to the Tory conference:
The road to Tory conference #UnitedAgainstTheTories pic.twitter.com/Vf5jXSLJCB
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) October 3, 2021
Speakers at the end of the march included People’s Assembly national secretary Laura Pidcock, general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) Sarah Woolley, Labour MP Barry Gardiner and others. National Union of Students (NUS) president Larissa Kennedy gave a rousing speech:
https://twitter.com/IWantADykeForPM/status/1444667654678122501
“Intergenerational”
Overall, a tweet from the People’s Assembly summed up the march well:
The Tories are attacking the elderly and the young. But our movement is intergenerational. Our solidarity is our strength.
We are #UnitedAgainstTheTories pic.twitter.com/T6mDNLtLvE
— People's Assembly (@pplsassembly) October 3, 2021
Now, the momentum that the group brought to Manchester needs to be built on up and down the country. The fightback against Johnson’s government must continue apace.
Featured image via Saul Staniforth
