Nottingham Socialist Party
Just the day before Nottingham’s annual GreenFest, 28 stall holders, including Nottingham Socialist Party, were informed that their stalls were cancelled.
GreenFest organisers informed us that insurance underwriters had threatened to cancel insurance for the whole festival unless various stalls were cancelled.
At short notice, we organised a branch committee meeting and agreed: to send a message of support to the organisers, to contact other stall holders to join a protest against the insurance broker, as well as to produce a Socialist Party leaflet.
The organisers expressed their gratitude for the message of solidarity and agreed with the approach we put forward, to organise a protest rally outside the festival, in a way that would not undermine the smooth running of the event.
Stall holders’ protest
The protest rally of censored stall holders was a great success. Over 30 people from various stall organisations attended, with speakers from various stalls, including both the joint secretary and also international officer of the Notts Trades Union Council.
It later emerged that the underwriters had reinterpreted a clause referring to “protests, or religious and/or politically motivated activities”. In other words, the stalls are banned because of the activities of the far right generally. There has never been any trouble at GreenFest.
GreenFest organisers say they have used the same insurers for 30 years, without issue. Nottingham Socialist Party and its predecessors have held stalls for decades too.
It is clear that profits come before our democratic rights. We say the insurance industry should be nationalised under democratic workers’ control and management so that it can be run to meet needs rather than for profit.
We are determined not to be censored again next year, GreenFest organisers are seeking alternative insurers.
