On Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 October, Birmingham branch supported two public demonstrations called in the city. They turned out to be the largest progressive demonstrations this year.
On Saturday, the Labour- and TUC-affiliated Enough Is Enough campaign called a rally outside New St station. The rally proceeded to a short march through Victoria Square to Centenary Square, where a symbolic bill-burning protest had been called by Don’t Pay UK. Hundreds of people were there to show solidarity with the striking rail and postal workers, and to express outrage at the cost-of-living crisis which is coming to bear on the better-off sections of the working class. Millions of people in Britain have already been suffering from the rising cost of living, the erosion of the welfare state, and stagnating wages, for decades. This is a result of the ongoing global economic crisis of imperialist capitalism which has only made the rich richer at the expense of making the poor poorer. Our supporters are clear that, for this movement to succeed, it has to include the entire working class, including those unemployed or precariously employed who are not represented by the ‘rich and cowardly’ major trade unions, and including racialised minorities who are constantly thrown under the bus by a Labour Party that openly supports a points-based immigration system and the criminalisation of poverty. We attempted to make these points via the ‘official’ platform but were denied speaking rights. Many people we spoke to clearly saw the need for an independent alternative to fight for socialism, but overall the event was dominated by people who saw their interests represented by a campaign that wanted to get the Tories out and Labour in.
Protesters burn symbolic energy bills
On Sunday, a larger crowd of around 2,000 gathered at Victoria Square to protest the annual Conservative Party Conference taking place at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre. Several current luminaries of the left including Mick Lynch of the RMT Union and Zarah Sultana of the Labour Party spoke from a large stage. Once again, the overall character of the demo was of a moral outrage against the ‘evil’ Tories. It was telling that the main rally of the demo was in a location that was not at all disruptive to the Tory Conference. Once again, there was a march to Centenary Square, which adjoins the conference centre. This presented an opportunity for the crowd to be more disruptive, but the most that happened was some booing and jeering at conference attendees entering and exiting the venue. Most of them were Conservative supporters who know very well that their interests are represented by the party and cannot therefore be shamed out of that knowledge. Even the more high-profile decision makers who attended represent ruling class economic interests: interests in protecting and expanding the wealth and power of the bourgeoisie at the expense of the working class. Labour has shown itself time and time again willing to protect those same economic interests, often with the begrudging support of middle-class liberals. The fight for decent housing, decent education, decent employment for all must be a fight for socialism – a fight for working class political power. This is what Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! stands for.
Adam Grey
