A BUNCH OF CUTS

It has been ding, ding round two this week as the next wave of anti-cuts protests kicked off with nationwide action against plans to scrap the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

As Westminster voted against Labour’s token motion to rethink the decision to cut EMA, around 500 people assembled at Piccadilly Circus before marching on Westminster. As they arrived at Parliament an impromptu rave of rage broke out.

In Brighton around 100 people turned up for the Save EMA demo, staging a small rally on Old Steine before being led by cops into uninhabited side-streets.

The day before (18th), walkouts and demonstrations were held at about 30 schools and colleges around the country, including Liverpool, Newcastle and Cornwell. The peaceful protests took a variety of forms, in Dudley several hundred college students held a fancy dress rally while in Leeds there was a silent protest and at a college in Norwich, students lit a candle for every student who receives EMA.

In the build up to the national protest called for the 29th, the proposed benefit cuts will be next in the firing line in a National Day of Protest on the 24th. There will be an array of protests across the country, many focusing on Atos Origin, the company responsible for the punitive medical testing of disability and sickness benefits.

*There are protests planned in London, Livingston, Leeds, Newcastle, Lyndey, Burnley, Hastings, Crawley, Brighton and a national Troll a Tory internet campaign. For a complete list see http://benefitclaimantsfightback.wordpress.com/