Housing demo, London, 13.3.16, photo by James Ivens (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
“Housing Bill, no way – can’t pay, will stay!” chanted thousands of angry tenants, housing campaigners and trade unionists on the national Kill the Housing Bill demonstration in central London on 13 March.
Housing demo, London, 13.3.16, photo by S. Wrack (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
The Housing Bill is yet another assault on social housing – increasing rents and attacking security of tenure (see ‘We need socialist policies to end the housing crisis’).
Socialist Party members asked people to sign up to the ‘we’re not moving’ pledge to resist the implementation of the bill, which hundreds did. The ‘I’m not moving’ placards were all snapped up long before the march set off. We will now be calling meetings to organise this resistance in local communities.
Housing demo, London, 13.3.16, photo S Wrack (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Youth Fight for Jobs and the Socialist Party formed a block on the demonstration with tenants from the successful New Era estate campaign in Hackney and the ongoing campaign at the Butterfields estate in Walthamstow.
Housing demo, London, 13.3.16, photo by J. Beishon (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Tenants from Butterfields spoke from the platform of the demonstration, as did Socialist Party members Nancy Taaffe from Walthamstow and Suzanne Muna of the Unite national executive.
Sarah Wrack
Everyone who signed the pledge is invited to this initial meeting in London:
Tuesday 22nd March 2016, 7.30pm
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn WC1R 4RL
Nearest tube Holborn
This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 14 March 2016 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.
