Kill the Bill – the new movement strengthens

photo Guy Smallman

Andrew Burgin on the growing Kill the Bill protests

With the outpouring of rage and anger and sadness around the murder of Sarah Everard, we have witnessed a new development in the movement that has been taking shape over the last year with Black Lives Matter at its heart. The attempted police ban of the vigil on Clapham Common was resisted by women, called together by Sisters Uncut, and many protests took place over the following days in direct response to the Tories’ attempt  to introduce draconian new legislation to restrict the right to protest. Mass demonstrations in response, on Saturday 3rd April, were organised by United for Black Lives and Women’s Strike with support from many other organisations. Protests have taken place up and down the country. In radical Bristol there has been a series of protests which have also faced attack by the police; the people fought back and the struggle there has strengthened this growing movement.

Kill the Bill marches, demonstrations and rallies took place in countless towns and cities throughout the country, from Northampton to Folkestone, Brighton, Birmingham and over a hundred other places. In central London where I was, many thousands marched from Speakers Corner to Parliament Square. The march was young, majority female and multi-ethnic – and that’s where the leadership of this movement has sprung from. It had a spirit and an energy which has long been lacking from the movement. It was determined yet joyous, accompanied by music – drummers and sound systems – and fantastic home-made placards and real verve. This was truly a festival of resistance.

Yes the radical and revolutionary left were there as they should be; it was clear to me that the new spirit had put a spring in those steps too. What was lacking were the banners and contingents from the labour movement. There was only one Labour banner that I saw on the central London demonstration. But we can change this. It’s time for the labour and trade union movement to step forward too – those rights have been under attack for four decades and it’s time to turn the tide. We need a mass national demonstration, one that can rival the great Stop the War march in 2003. Already a coalition of hundreds of organisations is forming and that should give us all hope.

In Parliament Square the speeches were made and there were Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana MP and Howard Beckett from Unite. If you can listen on catch-up to one speech, please listen to Jeremy’s – that was real leadership of the left today. He spoke of our history: of the Chartists, the Suffragettes, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the massacre at Peterloo and of the struggles which the movement has faced – and faced down – in order to preserve, build and defend our democratic rights. He spoke of Rosa Parks and the struggle against racism, to a powerful response from the crowd. He spoke of the great dangers we face and crucially – given the attacks by the Labour Party on the GRT community – he said loudly and clearly ‘I stand with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community’. That received one of the biggest cheers. Many of the struggles that Jeremy talked about were reflected in the banners and placards that people brought to the protest – embracing the rich history of our diverse movements, standing together in unity.

Jeremy speaking in Parliament Square

We are at the beginning of a long campaign but who could not be encouraged by the sight of many thousands of young people prepared to take up the fight? We in Left Unity, as part of the European Left Party, will stand alongside you. The battle is under way.

Some more photos from Saturday

Maia Thomas founder of Exeter BLM

Bianca Todd speaking at Northampton Kill the Bill