Defending the right to education through public resources

Steve Freeman reports on the march against library closures.

On Saturday 5 November thousands marched from the British Library in central London to Trafalgar Square to protest against library closures, part of the fight to defend culture, education and the public right to have free access to these cultural resources.

Museums, galleries and libraries are all under threat from Tory austerity.

For people from poorer backgrounds, these cultural centres provide crucial access to learning. Closures due to budget cuts will inevitably impact the less affluent to a greater extent, contributing to a more unequal, less educated society and workforce.

Such closures also take away long-standing community hubs.

Several prominent writers attended the march, including the Children’s Laureate, Chris Riddell, Phillip Ardagh, Alan Gibbons and Michael Rosen. In the post Brexit world it was encouraging to see a militant contingent of French workers joining the demonstration. Education, after all, is good for everyone.