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Saturday’s events have to be a launchpad for bigger strikes and mass protests
By Sarah Bates and Sam Ord
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Saturday 01 October 2022
Issue 2825
United on the Enough is Enough King’s Cross rally in London (Picture: Guy Smallman)
Around 4,000 people rallied outside King’s Cross Station in central London on Saturday to back strikers and fight the Tories. Organised by Enough is Enough, the rally involved the rail and mail unions striking on the day, but also many others.
Dave Ward, general secretary of the Royal Mail workers’ CWU union, told the rally, “We’re so proud to be out with the RMT, Aslef and TSSA members, building the biggest strike in years.” He added, “It’s always working class people who are made to pay the price. We are going to kick the Tories out. Our social movement is growing bigger and we will make sure to drive Labour to stand for working people.”
Mick Lynch, leader of the RMT union, said, “‘We are workers and we refuse to be divided. We refuse to pitch rail workers against nurses. We are not going to have it anymore. We are the working class and we are back.”
Kayleigh, an NEU union member at the rally, told Socialist Worker, “Our living standards have hit a new low and as millions of us struggle the Tories turn away. There have been tax cuts for the super-wealthy and scraps for us.”
Kayleigh said it’s positive to see “all these people unite. It’s events like this with huge amounts of solidarity that will give confidence to strikers and those—like myself—balloting to strike.“
Campaigns including Stand Up to Racism, Campaign Against Climate Change, Don’t Pay UK, Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants and others joined the demonstration.
Ronja from Extinction Rebellion told Socialist Worker, “The climate and cost of living crisis are the same crisis. It’s important to be united because it’s how we will win. The strikes have inspired many Extinction Rebellion activists, and we’ve been showing support at the picket lines.”
Between speakers chants of “enough is enough” filled the streets. Former Labour leader and MP Jeremy Corbyn told the crowd, “Thanks to Grant Shapps and Liz Truss for their arrogance, stupidity and how they’ve united us.”
“We march for hungry children,” he added. “We march for those trying to survive the rent sector and we march with the BAME community in support of Chris Kaba.”
As the rally ended Extinction Rebellion activists marched towards Westminster to join the Just Stop Oil day of action. Among them was a Unite union member who told Socialist Worker, “Today’s rally and speeches have been amazing. We must use them to boost our trade union organising.”
It was a very positive rally. But if it had been built as a march for several weeks in advance it could have been 50,000 or more. Saturday’s actions—which saw a step change in unity—have to be a launchpad for bigger strikes and mass protests.
Sam Ord
Thousands on the Glasgow Enough is Enough rally (Picture: Simon Guy)
General strike support on big rallies across Britain
Struggle Saturday saw large protests against the cost of living crisis and rule of the rich as Enough is Enough protesters gathered across Britain.
Across the 50 demonstrations, tens of thousands of people marched in a sea of anti-Tory anger. And in some locations, turnout far exceeded expectations.
This was the case in Nottingham where some 2,000 marched through the city centre. The march was filled with homemade banners demanding “general election now” and “freeze profits not people”. Local activists believe it was the biggest protest since a monster demo in 2011 against public sector pension cuts.
Chants of “Enough is enough—get the Tories out” rang through the city centre as people prepared to march. At a rally, Louise Regan from the NEU union said, “Our children are living in poverty and we are not going to put up with it. Enough is enough. Support all these strikes and join a picket line.”
In Manchester, up to 4,000 people took to the streets. A 1,000-strong protest organised by the Don’t Pay campaign joined up with the Enough is Enough mobilisation, resulting in an electric atmosphere.
Socialist Worker supporter Martin Empson reports, “This is a very angry protest. There are lots of people from community organisations and the strikes are high profile. But people also want to talk about taxing the rich and a general strike. There’s a lot of anti-Tory rhetoric and lots of interest in socialist politics.” And at the rally, speeches mentioning anti-racism were extremely popular with the crowd.
In Sheffield, some 1,500 gathered to send the message out, “We can’t pay for their crisis”. Union delegations from the RMT and Aslef were part of the march to the City Hall. There were speeches from the RMT and Aslef unions, Black Lives Matter, People’s Assembly and a local climate group.
Robyn Orfitelli from the UCU union told the crowd to “Stand together to take down these dragons. There is power in solidarity, there is hope in solidarity and we will change in solidarity.”
In Bristol, Enough is Enough protesters went on a tour of solidarity. Some 800 people marched to the Ovo building—the headquarters of a big energy supplier—then on to the picket line at Temple Meads station.
They marched to the CWU picket line nearby and local activists reported a great atmosphere during the action. There were scenes of unity between different workers in dispute throughout many protests on Saturday.
Some 300 people rallied outside Hastings train station at the rail workers’ picket line. Postal workers joined in large numbers and strikers led the chants to demand, “Tories—out, out, out”. And in Chesterfield, protesters received a message of support from striking Liverpool dockers.
Some 150 people marched round by the town, in scenes of defiance, led by a group of striking postal workers. Trade unionists from the RCN, UCU, Unite and Unison unions brought messages of solidarity to the rally.
Climate activists, including a recently-released Just Stop Oil activist, spoke about the need for system change and the importance of defending the right to protest. Down on the south coast, Portsmouth saw its biggest protest for many years as up to 400 people marched through the town. They chanted, “Nationalise the railways, nationalist the post, sack all the Tories, make Liz Truss toast”.
Protesters got a warm reception from passersby as they marched through the roads and shut down traffic. And up in Glasgow, a monster march of over 2,000 people snaked its way through the city centre. Gordon Martin, RMT Scotland Regional Organiser generated huge cheers from the crowd when he talked of the “bosses having untold wealth thrown at them”. He added, “We’re expected to be robbed rotten of every aspect of everyday life, from heating your house to filling your car to feeding your weans. Enough is enough.”
Some 1,000 people marched in Norwich, 300 in Lancaster, 300 in Cardiff, 400 in Birmingham, 600 in Brighton, 200 in Weymouth and 1,000 in Newcastle. Many other towns and cities saw sizeable mobilisations.
Sarah Bates
