Thousands attend anti-austerity rallies across UK

[Jazzy]

Tens of thousands of people are taking part in anti-austerity demonstrations in UK cities.

The biggest march was in London, where thousands of people attended a rally outside the Bank of England before marching to the Houses of Parliament.

Union leaders and celebrities including Russell Brand and Charlotte Church have addressed crowds, while protests also took place in Liverpool and Glasgow.

The government says austerity measures are vital to cutting the deficit.

The London rally was also addressed by Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, and Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn.

The protest was organised by protest group the People's Assembly, who said 250,000 people have attended. The Met Police has not estimated how many people were there.

Thousands of people also attended that rally in Glasgow, which was organised by Scotland United Against Austerity.

If you looked closely at the placards, banners and t-shirts, you saw that the issues people were shouting about were many and varied.

Homes not Trident. Save Our NHS. A living wage for Mothers. Frack-free World.

One simply read: "We're mad as hell and we're not taking it any more."

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, told the crowds: "If they think they won the war of austerity on May 7 they'd better think again."

Sinn Fein's Mr McGuinness said he would fight "right-wing Thatcherite policies", telling crowds his party would say an "unambiguous, unqualified, uncompromising 'no' to this new Tory government".

Meanwhile, Green Party MP Caroline Lucas accused Chancellor George Osborne of an "ideological war on welfare".

Sam Fairbairn, national secretary of the People's Assembly, said the London march would be the start of "a campaign of protest, strikes, direct action and civil disobedience up and down the country".

Lindsey German, from Stop The War Coalition, added: "We are expecting a nasty, vicious budget next month on top of existing cuts and the movement today is saying this is the beginning, we are not going to accept it."

Full article with pictures

Do you think these demonstrations have any impact on the government?

 

[DrLeftover]

I'd ask each and every one of them one question:

"Who's going to pay for all the things you want the government to give you?"