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The start of the European marches was marked in Britain by a 20,000 strong March for Social Justice in London. The march was supported by the Liverpool dockers the Magnet strikers, the Hillingdon Hospital strikers, all of whom have been on strike against dismissal for many months, together with disablement activist groups, trade unionists, and left organisations. 50% of the demonstration was made up of supporters of Reclaim the Streets (RTS) an environmentalist action network which has played a prominent role in anti road building protests in recent years. RTS has formed a firm alliance with the Liverpool dockers over the last six months.

The march was organised by the London support group for the Liverpool Dockers. Such a march in the middle of a general election campaign is unprecedented in Britain and was designed to raise issues of social Justice which are being systematically ignored by all main political parties in the campaign.

The Liverpool dockers and the London Dockers support committee had previously enthusiastically agreed that the march would mark the start of the European Marches in Britain since the issues raised on both are the same.

Glenn Voris Secretary of the British Marches Committee spoke about the marches to the rally in Trafalgar Square (the traditional place for end of march rallies). Jeremy Corbyn MP, a member of the left Labour Socialist Campaign Group of MPs also spoke in support of the marches.

Euromarch supporters gave out thousands of leaflets to the demonstrators, many of whom who were previously unaware of the marches. Euromarch tee shirts also sold well.

In the week since the demo we have received many enquiries from people wishing to march. The London Euromarch committee and the London Dockers Support Committee have now merged to enable us to build the biggest possible mobilisation for the Euromarches in Britain. These are due to start in Preston in the North West 17 May, and Jarrow, the starting point of a famous "hunger march" in the 1930s, on 19 May.

The BBC's main TV news programme "Newsnight" carried a 10 minute item on the marches, including interviews with leading supporters in Britain, and coverage is beginning to pick up in the national press, despite and to a certain extent because of the centrality of the European issue in the general election. Extensive coverage has been given in the weekly "European" newspaper which this week carries accounts of the beginning of the marches in Ivalo, Finland, and Malaga in the Spanish State.

e-mail: 101326.41@compuserve.com,

 

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Last Modified: Thursday, April 24, 1997 at 10:24 AM