NEXT HOOPS CAMPAIGN MEETING - WED 24 NOV

Wednesday 24th November at 7:00pm in Oxford House. We are aware that this date is a Day X but we have already postponed this meeting b4 and we really need to meet before the Council meeting. It is possible to go to demo earlier, but yes we know its hard.

Statement about 10/11/10 student demonstration

A statement has been issued supporting Wednesday's student protests

We need unity to defend education and break the Con Dems’ attacks. Stand with protesters against victimisation.

• Stand with the protestors against victimisation
• Hands off our students, our colleges and our universities
• Broken windows cannot compare to the broken hearts and dreams of a generation denied education and jobs

Sign the Unity statement

We need unity to break the Con Dems’ attacks
Stand with protesters against victimisation

Wednesday’s national NUS/UCU 50,000 strong national demonstration was a magnificent show of strength against the Con Dems’ savage attacks on education. The Tories want to make swinging cuts, introduce £9,000 tuition fees and cut EMA. These attacks will close the doors to higher education and further education for a generation of young people.

During the demonstration over 5,000 students showed their determination to defend the future of education by occupying the Tory party HQ and its courtyards for several hours. The mood was good-spirited, with chants, singing and flares.

Yet at least 32 people have now been arrested, and the police and media appear to be launching a witch-hunt condemning peaceful protesters as “criminals” and violent. A great deal is being made of a few windows smashed during the protest, but the real vandals are those waging a war on our education system.

We reject any attempt to characterise the Millbank protest as small, “extremist” or unrepresentative of our movement. We celebrate the fact that thousands of students were willing to send a message to the Tories that we will fight to win. Occupations are a long established tradition in the student movement that should be defended. It is this kind of action in France and Greece that has been an inspiration many workers and students in Britain faced with such a huge assault on jobs, housing and the public sector.

We stand with the protesters, and anyone who is victimised as a result of the protest.

Initial signatories include:

Mark Bergfeld, NUS NEC
Sean Rillo Raczka, Birkbeck SU Chair and NUS NEC (Mature Students’ Rep)
Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)
Alan Bailey, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)
Kanjay Sesay, NUS Black Students’ Officer
Matt Bond, NUS Disabled Ctte (Open Place rep)
Michael Chessum, Education and Campaigns Officer UCL SU
Jade Baker, Education Officer Westminster Uni SU
Cameron Tait, University of Sussex Students' Union President
Nathan Bolton, Campaigns Officer Essex University Students’ Union
Clare Solomon, ULU President
Jim Wolfreys, UCU NEC
Dr Marion Hersh, UCU NEC and Scottish Executive
Alex Gordon, President, National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT)
Lee Hall, playwright ‘Billy Elliot’
Hilary Wainwright, Transnational Institute
Alex Callinicos, Professor of European Studies King’s College London
Billy Bragg Songwriter
Noami Klein Author and Activist All in a personal capacity

  http://www.petitiononline.com/st53231/petition.html

The next meeting of our local anti-cuts campaign is on Wednesday 24th November at 7:00pm in Oxford House.

This is the day after council unions meet with the Chief Executive so we may have some picture of what the budget looks like in Tower Hamlets.

We should take the example of the students and bring some of that feeling to every campaign that fight and cuts.

The TUC has named Saturday March 26th as the day for the national demonstration and we need to make sure that this is huge, but there will be a lot of campaigning and activity before then.

Hope to see you on Wednesday 24th.

Protests against Comprehensive Spending Review

People around the country are protesting against the savage Tory cuts in George Osborne's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). These reports will be updated through the day.

Lunch time protests in Tower Hamlets

HOOPS organised lunch time protests across the borough on the 20^th October.  Around 175 people turned up.    100 people assemble at Crisp Street Market in Poplar. Across the road from the picket, fire fighters from Poplar fire station pulled an engine onto the forecourt and held placards.

About 30 people from schools, the tube and others workplaces meet outside Mile End underground.  

Evening demo in Central London

Some 2,500 people had marched from Lincoln’s Inn Fields to join several hundred already at Downing Street for a rally. People joined the march as it went along.

On the way to Downing Street protesters chanted, “David Cameron, get out, we know what you’re all about—cuts, job losses, money for the bosses”.

Others shouted, “Unite and fight—general strike!”

Banners on the march reflected the diversity of those protesting. They included Waltham Forest Unison, Islington Trades Council, Holborn & St Pancras Labour Party, Camden Keep Our NHS Public, the Defend Whittington Hospital Campaign, Tower Hamlets Unison, Greenwich NUT, Burslem CWU, GMB Ealing, Defend Council Housing and Goldsmiths UCU.

Demonstrators reached Downing Street and were welcomed by more protesters from the Coalition of Resistance group who had already gathered there.

There were some scuffles with police, who bizarrely tried to snatch the Right to Work campaign banner from women activists at one point.

Demonstrators heard from speakers including Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, George Binette, secretary of Camden trades council, and Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU.

George Binette described the “insanity of Eton educated, Bullingdon Club Cameron bringing in cuts not seen since the 1920s.” He said the Tories would force thousands of people to face “the awful prospect of eviction from London or homelessness”.

But, he added, “The resistance has begun.”

Many others spoke of the need to fight back together.

“If students and workers march in France, we can do it here as well,” Mark Serwotka told the crowd. “The Tories are a bloody disgrace—it’s daylight robbery.

“What are we going to do? Industrial action is absolutely inevitable—and we should coordinate it across the unions.”

Matt Wrack spoke of the impending strikes in London, as firefighters prepare to walk out this Saturday. “Firefighters in London are on the frontline of Tory attacks,” he said.

“The bosses are saying—toe the line or we’ll sack you. Well we’re walking out on strike.

“Join us on the picket lines on Saturday and support your firefighters.”

As demonstrators gathered in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Lucas Tivili, a teacher from Lewisham, said “We have to start fighting back against the government. What I heard today from George Osborne sent a chill down my spine—we can’t let them destroy everything generations of workers have fought for.”

Michelle from King's College was one of the hundreds of students who marched from their universities to join the protest.

“The government wants education geared towards what their friends can make money out of.” “I find that disgusting. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing. I think about my little sister who will now be terrified about coming to university because of the bill at the end of it—but because unemployment is so high what choices are left for people like her?”

Doug, a Unison member from Camden, helped build the protest. He said, “We worked really hard to make sure that all parts of the community are represented here today. I am so proud to see all of the banners from trades councils and different unions. It shows how united we can be and it is this unity which we have to remember over the coming weeks and months. We have to beat these cuts—there is no other way to say it.”

Kerry from Camden joined the protest with two of her friends and their children. She said “This is the first demonstration I’ve ever been on. I had to come—I’m so frustrated and angry because of the cuts to schools

Earlier hundreds of students had marched from the University of London Union through central London to the assembly point. Sandy, a student at the London School of Economics, said, "It feels fantastic to be marching down Kingsway stopping traffic. It gives me a taste of not only what we have to do, but what we are capable of."

PROTEST THIS WEDNESDAY 20th OCTOBER

Local lunch time protests are taking place across Tower Hamlets this Wednesday to coincide with the ConDem's Spending Review 

LUNCHTIME – 1:00PM 

Mile End Tube
Chrisp Street
62 Roman Road
Queen Mary College (library square)

 
THE LONDON DEMONSTRATION

will start from 4.30pm Lincoln's Inn Fields, Holborn WC2 - assemble for a
demonstration to Downing Street

6pm Rally at Downing Street - speakers include Tony Benn, 

Rev Jesse Jackson, Caroline Lucas MP and Mark Serwotka.

FBU STRIKE ACTION
Also great news on Fire Fighters hitting back at cuts, FBU members in London have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in defence of London’s fire service and their working conditions

The first day of strike action is on Saturday October 23rd when FBU members will join the march starting from the RMT headquarters in Chalton Street.

here is a list of all six fire stations in Tower Hamlets.Bethnal Green.
11 Roman Road
E2 0HU

Bow
64 Parnell Road
E3 2RU

Millwall
43 Westferry Road
E14 8JH

Poplar
168 East India Dock Road
E14 0BP

Shadwell
290 Cable Street
E1 0BX

Whitechapel
27 Commercial Road
E1 1LD

Phone: 020 7364 5791

Local response last Saturday

Last Saturday a dozen local activists from Hands Off Our Public Services
spent lunchtime asking people in Whitechapel to sign a petition
opposing government cuts to public services.

The response was overwhelming from all parts of the community. People
lined up to sign the petition and many spoke of their fear for the
future as services start being slashed.

No one we spoke to supported the cutbacks. Many pledged to protest on
this Wednesday, the day of the cuts are announced 

20th October - D-Day

BEWARE AXEMAN OSBORNE

On 20^th Oct the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) is coming.  This is the Orwellian name that the Con-Dem’s have given to the massive package of cuts against our services.  We in HOOPS believe that We all must stand up and fight for the services that we all need and have pay for.  This is why We have called for a series of Local actions on and around that day.

Local campaigners have been out around Tower Hamlets in recent weeks petitioning and leafleting against the cuts in public spending being brought in by this government. Already changes in the way increases in benefits and pensions are calculated are robbing millions of people of thousands of pounds.  That is before the cuts are announced next Wednesday, 20^th October.

Alex Kenny, one of the campaign organisers, said, “Following our successful public meeting there is a mood of opposition developing to these cuts and we are determined that the government know this. We are continuing to organise locally but will also be linking up with other campaigns. On the day of the Comprehensive Spending Review we will be organising lunchtime protests in Tower Hamlets and then joining others in a protest at Downing Street.”

Saturday 16^th October - Whitechapel - deliver your message to David Cameron

On Saturday 16^th October we are running a stall where local people will be able to deliver their personal message about the cuts by making their own placard and video.

This will take place between from 12 noon onwards outside the Whitechapel Ideas Store and will provide an excellent photo opportunity.

Wednesday 20^th October – lunchtime protests

On the day of the Comprehensive Spending Review local trade unions will be working together to organise lunchtime protests. These are planned for:

·                  Mile End

·                  Chrisp Street

·                  Whitechapel

·                  Roman Road

AND TO ROUND OFF THE DAY; 
London wide demonstration leaves Lincoln Inn Field’s (Holborn tube) and heads to the heart of the beast at Downing Street.

If you can’t make the start, head straight for Downing Street after 6pm

For further details, please contact Alex Kenny (details below)

PRESS CONTACT: ALEX KENNY 07973 913 123

Report Back: Demonstration against the Tory Conference, Birmingham

We defied an attempted ban on the protest by the police and the Birmingham’s ConDem City Council, we marched in pouring rain and we demonstrated despite a heavy police presence. The coach left Tower Hamlets at 8:30am, but half way up the motorway the rain began to fall. Our bus included Tower Hamlets Unison, which voted to support the protest, plus members of the NUT, RMT and NUJ unions. 

We arrived at car park in Birmingham. Very quickly the area started to fill up with delegations from around the country. The first coach left Belfast the night before. There were a lot of banners from trade unions and community organisations. 

The mood was very defiant.  It was quite interesting to see how many issues people raised against a government that was only elected 5 months ago. Issues ranged from cuts in public spending, layoffs, privatisation, fox hunting, and attacks on people’s right to council housing.

Around 100 CWU postal union members came to the demo, including the president Jane Loftus, she said, “We will deliver solidarity to all trade unionists and workers in struggle. With solidarity, we can win.”

Post worker Angie Mulcahy, the area processing rep from the threatened Bow Locks mail centre in east London said, “Management are trying to create a climate of fear amongst postal workers. In London they want to close two mail centres. But we are planning a fight back—and it starts with this demo.

“The big turnout from the CWU shows the level of attacks we are facing. The cuts will affect everyone. The CWU should support workers fighting back, and we expect the same solidarity in return.”

Also in the CWU block is Gareth Eales, deputy branch secretary of Northamptonshire Amal CWU. He said, “The privatisation of Royal Mail is a massive threat, but we are also here to stand shoulder to shoulder with other trade unionists facing cuts and privatisation.

Richard Gurney, Bath north east Somerset Unison branch chair, said, "The government White Paper is ending the NHS in all but name. We have built a poll of attraction that cuts are not inevitable. The TUC was a good start, but have to build on the ground."

Cath Collins, a Unison union member working in NHS said “They try and make out that everyone on benefit is on the make – but have they ever lived on £60 a week? I voted for Ed Miliband, I don’t know why he's so scared of being called Red Ed. I liked some of his speech but when he attacked strikes I thought, you were elected with union votes!”

Kelvin a Unite union member said, "If the Tories try to use salami tactics to attack different sections of workers as they did on the 1980s, this time we need a generalised fight back."

Labour MP John McDonnell showed his anger at the cuts, saying, “I’ve got a warning for the Tories—if you come for us, we will come for you, with strikes, occupations, direct action. This is no time to stand on the sidelines.” 

Salma Yaqoob is the leader of the Respect party and a councillor in Birmingham. “We have extremists in our midst...trying to destroy our way of life. They want to take our jobs and our homes. I’m talking about the Tories!"

At that point the crowd errupted with sound, as protesters clapped and cheered and blew whistles and vuvuzelas. 

After noon the march began. An exuberant student delegation added to the great atmosphere despite the weather as 7,000 people headed towards the Tory conference. Delegations from hundreds of workplaces gave the demonstration an electric and angry mood despite the pouring rain. 

As the march moved through Birmingham there were reports of Tory delegates scuttling to get out of the way of the oncoming crowd who are chanting "Tory scum, out of Brum” 

It was great when some students let off smoke flares when they got close to the police cordon protecting the Tories from the general public. 

After the conference hall, near the end of the march, police tried to flex their muscles. They set up a ‘Kettle’ towards the back of the demo but failed to dampen down the spirits of the protesters.  After a while through they herded the kettle into the car park of waiting coaches.   

At the final rally in the car park, Mark Serwotka PCS union general secretary said, "Some at the TUC say no one will come, if demos are called. But if thousands of people will come to Birmingham, on a Sunday, in the rain, how many thousands could the TUC get if it mobilised?”

"The TUC is organising a protest against the cuts in March, and we have to make sure there are hundreds of thousands of people on the streets that day.”

Chris Bambery from the Right to Work campaign said, “We need to go from here and start saying that if in Greece, if in France, if in Spain they can have a general strike against cuts and austerity, then we can have a general strike here in Britain.”

Other speakers at the rally included Dave Nellist, socialist councillor from Coventry, leading activist in Greek general strikes Dina Garane, Portuguese Left Bloc MP, green groups.

Jeremy Corbyn, left wing Labour MP said, “This is the time to mobilise, organise and defend the welfare state—to stand for a society base on the needs of everyone not the needs of a few.”