Last month I took part in a series of protests against the harshness of current austerity measures, including the largest march I’ve ever known to take place in Manchester. Organised by the People’s Assembly, there were representatives from; TUC, PCS, CND, Junior doctors, Bread and Roses Choir, Green Party, National Assembly of Women, Stop the War Coalition, Unison, NUT, GMB, RMT and FBU.
I bumped into numerous people I knew during the protests – including previous social worker(s), my daughter’s schoolteacher, friends who are lecturers, nurses and so forth. All a far cry from Boris Johnson’s, ‘mob of assorted crusties with nose-rings’.
The volume and diversity of people attending was staggering – many times during the march I felt emotionally overwhelmed by the breadth of those affected by current austerity measures.
Predictably the press coverage of the protest focused on the behaviour of a minority of aforementioned ‘nose-ringed crusties’. And whilst this kind of sensationalist reporting is commonplace, it’s interesting that the hateful taunts of a few Conservative party members were not considered so newsworthy. Perhaps because they were delivered in a more controlled way than the cliché egg throwers, or perhaps for other reasons.
The majority of protesters were very well behaved. And whilst I’m not justifying physical threats or the use of foul language from the minority, I find it incredibly hypocritical that politicians complained about GMP’s handling of ‘hate crimes’ against the Tories.
Seriously? Hate crimes … what are hate crimes?
I overheard one politician aggressively bellow “good” in the face of a protester’s outcry that her disabled friend had died after his ESA had been cut. The protester was neither swearing nor physically threatening; she was however very upset by this shocking response. I also witnessed a young Conservative disdainfully blowing kisses at significantly disabled protesters whilst also making snide comments about ‘paying for their benefits’. (Hence the title and mockumentary below)
The politicians in question may not be taunting with physical actions, or using bad language, however there is something inexplicably disturbing about a person of privilege and wealth mocking protesters in this way. Disabled people, for example, were demonstrating about cuts that enable them to carry out the most rudimental tasks – reacting to their cry by blowing kisses is vile.
Even worse is to tell protesters that it is ‘good’ that a disabled person has died because his or her benefit has been cut. To my mind this is a despicable and unjustified verbal insult, encouraging the worse type of hatred against disabled people.
There is something inexplicably disturbing about a person of privilege and wealth mocking protesters in this way. Disabled people, for example, were demonstrating about cuts that enable them to carry out the most rudimental tasks – reacting to their cry by blowing kisses is vile.
Chris Hughes, DPAC member