Mark Pearson, Chester Socialist Party
On Saturday 24 May, a right-wing initiated demonstration called the ‘Great British Strike’ took place in Chester’s Town Hall square.
There was no counter-demo organised so Chester Socialist Party members turned up to try to cut across any divisive or racist ideas by raising working-class demands for ‘jobs, homes and services for all’.
Our focus was on engaging with students and other young people in the vicinity. We did this and successfully gathered petition signatures and sold copies of the Socialist. Three young lads who were looking for an anti-racist counter-demo noticed us. They came along to the next Socialist Party meeting.
The ‘British Strike’ protest itself attracted roughly 120 participants. However, only about 15 of these were the familiar core group of far-right thugs. Some of our members distributed leaflets calling for jobs, homes and services not racism. We encountered a few negative remarks, but also secured two petition signatures and handed out leaflets. We were able to get our message across.
The ‘British Strike’ crowd comprised various segments of the working class. A significant portion appeared to be individuals feeling disconnected and disillusioned, rather than committed racists or right-wing agitators. Most of this small assembly quickly blended back into the Saturday crowds of shoppers and tourists. The anticipated ‘march’ turned out to be just one man carrying a Union Jack flag, accompanied by a couple of friends; they walked down Northgate Street to the cross and then vanished. Our leafleting and calm conversations with attendees evidently helped to cut across what the small number of far-right activists there wanted to achieve.
Joining the Socialists
Following a coffee break and a swift evaluation of the event, we set up a Socialist Party stall near the prominent Eastgate clock. This proved highly successful. The arrival of a new young member of Chester Socialist Party provided a welcome boost to the team’s energy. We sold numerous Socialist newspapers, met several people interested in joining the Socialist Party, and received substantial donations to our fighting fund.
In summary: although Chester Socialist Party is small in number, we achieved considerably more success throughout the day than the far-right contingent!
