Hundreds of North protestors join London march

Mar 27 2011 by Kim Carmichael, Sunday Sun

NORTH protesters lined the streets of London yesterday to join the biggest demonstration in years.

Around 400,000 people joined the TUC’s March for the Alternative to oppose the coalition government’s spending cuts, including hundreds of people from the North.

Teachers, nurses, midwives, NHS, council and other public sector workers were joined by students and pensioners to bring the centre of the capital to a standstill.

Although the event was largely peaceful, ugly scenes erupted when a group broke off near Oxford Street and threw objects at gathered police.

The windows of Topshop and HSBC were smashed, while paint and glass bottles were thrown at a Royal Bank of Scotland branch.

Fireworks and flares were set off and a handful of activists scuffled with police.

Scotland Yard said light bulbs filled with ammonia were thrown at officers. One man was arrested on suspicion of going equipped to commit criminal damage.

Labour leader Ed Miliband told protesters at a rally in Hyde Park that the Government was wrong to make such deep cuts in public services.

He was heckled by a small number of protesters when he said “some cuts” were needed, but most people applauded his speech.

Other leading Labour figures such as deputy leader Harriet Harman and shadow chancellor Ed Balls joined the march.

Unison regional secretary Gill Hale said anger at the cutbacks had boosted the turnout on the march. She said: “We have seen public services being cut back and that’s directly affecting things like patient care and we are seeing a lot of job losses and people are now just saying ‘this is too much’.”

Shirley Ford, North East Green Party coordinator, who attended the rally with her husband and 11-year-old-son, said: “Cuts that hurt the poorest hardest are morally wrong. These cuts are driven by ideology, not economic necessity.”

Also taking to the streets were representatives from scores of voluntary organisations. Among them were members of the Newcastle Tenants Federation, an independent organisation representing tenants and residents’ associations who are opposed the proposed two-year security tenure on council properties.