Hours after the Queen had announced the latest Tory attacks planned, thousands of revolutionary young people marched through the streets of central London in protest against the corrupt Establishment and the rotten political and economic system that they defend. This was the real voice for the anger that exists across British society today.
Hours after the Queen had announced the latest Tory attacks against the working class and the most vulnerable in society, thousands of revolutionary young people gathered in central London and marched through the streets in protest against the corrupt Establishment and the rotten political and economic system that they defend. This was the real voice for the anger that exists across British society today.
Assembling in Trafalgar Square at 5pm, a crowd of young people, including many school students, climbed up onto the base of Nelson’s Column, waving banners and shouting revolutionary slogans, aimed not simply against the Tories, but against the whole political elite and the bankrupt, crisis-ridden capitalist system.
This dynamic demonstration quickly moved down Whitehall and onto Downing Street, where a static rally called by the People’s Assembly was taking place, with a number of labour movement speakers arranged, including Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the PCS, and Jeremy Corbyn, the left Labour MP. However, the thousands of radicalised youth marching down Whitehall were clearly not willing to stand around and listen to the same old figures give the same stock speeches. Instead, the protest swept past the People’s Assembly rally and the various stalls set up outside Downing Street, and – after a brief scuffle with the police – onto Parliament Square.
The contrast was astounding: on the one hand, the People’s Assembly demo, largely empty, consistingly mainly of a small number of latecomers being spoken to by a series of labour movement figures about the impact of Tory cuts, the need to fight back, etc. etc.; on the other hand, a swathe of radicalised youth, who wanted to have their voices heard, with shouts and slogans that echoed around the sidestreets of Westminster.
This militant protest proceeded at a blistering pace, passing by the various Whitehall departments where Tory ministers are no-doubt planning how to implement the vicious attacks outlined earlier in the day in the Queen’s speech. Without any pre-conceived plan or leadership, the demonstration responded rapidly to any obstacles, with the police left playing a game of cat-and-mouse with protestors, who quickly changed direction upon efforts by the cops to constrain or halt those marching.
The protest was peaceful throughout, despite a couple of attempts by police to restrict those demonstrating. It later emerged that Douglas Carswell, the sole UKIP MP, had had to be escourted out under police protection after accidently finding himself amongst the throng of protestors!
Finally, after an hour-or-so of marching around Westminster and Whitehall, the demonstration marched back past the People’s Assembly rally, and back to Trafalgar Square for some improptu speeches from the crowd. Speaker after speaker gave impassioned contributions, talking about how the crisis was affecting them, and why a radical change was needed.
Members of the Marxist Student Federation were present throughout, handing out leaflets for Revolution 2015 – a weekend of discussion and debate about Marxist ideas and action. Protestors were extremely eager to take our leaflets, and even more keen to discuss about revolutionary ideas and how we can organise around such ideas. Similar reports were given from Marxist Students participating in a demonstration of around 1,000 people – primarily school and college students – in Leeds at the same time.
Following on from the other semi-spontaneous movements and meetings that have been seen in the wake of the election – and with more demonstrations planned for 30th March this weekend to build for the large national demonstration against austerity on 20th June – it is clear that the mood of anger and radicalisation in society is finding an expression, particular amongst young people.
The task now is to educate, agitate, and organise; to channel this radical mood into a mass movement of workers and youth; to fight for the revolutionary transformation of society in Britain and internationally. Join us on the Revolutionary Youth bloc on the 20th June to begin the fight against capitalism! The system is broken: we need a revolution!
