spot Campaigns

spot Organisations

spot Arguments for socialism

All Campaigns subcategories:

Anti-capitalism

Anti-fascist

Anti-racism

Anti-war

Asylum

Black and Asian

Children

CNWP

Corporate crime

Disability

Education

Election campaigns

Environment

Finance

Food

Gender Recognition Act

Health and safety

Health and welfare

* Housing

Human Rights

LGBT Pride

Local government

Local services

Low pay

Migration

Nationalisation

New workers party

NHS

Pensions

Post Office

Poverty

Privatisation

Public Services

Socialism

Socialist

Sport

Stop the slaughter of Tamils

Students

The state

Transport

TUSC

Welfare rights

Women

Workplace and TU campaigns

Youth

Housing keywords:

Accommodation (103)

Bedroom tax (189)

Butterfields (29)

Canal (1)

Grenfell Tower (58)

Homeless (107)

Homelessness (115)

Homes (284)

Households (67)

Housing (905)

Housing benefit (103)

Rents (138)

Repossessions (7)

Squatting (3)

Tenants (208)

Tenants

4 April 2016

Search site for keywords: Butterfields - Tenants - Socialist - Homes - Walthamstow - Waltham Forest

Butterfields tenants and supporters 'walk the walk'

by Waltham Forest Socialist Party members

"We have been treated like garbage. We are not garbage," said Daniel, one of the tenants from the Butterfields estate in Walthamstow, east London. He was speaking at a 'walk-the-walk' event on 2 April organised by the campaign against evictions on the estate.

Nancy Taaffe on the mic; Butterfield tenants & supporters' 'walk', 2.4.16, photo Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge)

60 residents, local campaigners and supporters marched loudly and proudly through Walthamstow. We appealed for the community to support the 63 families facing eviction after their homes were sold by their previous landlord, the Glasspool Trust charity.

Butterfield tenants & supporters, 2.4.16, photo Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge)

The new landlord, private developers Butterfields E17 Ltd, wants them out so it can sell for a quick profit. But the tenants are determinedly still in their homes, despite the 'notices to quit' for many having expired in the week before this pavement walk.

Butterfield tenants & supporters, 2.4.16, photo by Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge)

Speakers emphasised that this walk was designed to galvanise support and get ready to defend the tenants in whatever way is necessary, including physically resisting bailiffs if it comes to that. To this end we collected details of supporters to add to a phone tree and money in case needed for legal fees.

Wanting more info about the Socialist Party; Butterfield tenants & supporters, 2.4.16, photo by Sarah Wrack (Click to enlarge)

Socialist Party members have been working with tenants to help organise the campaign. We raised that the council has responsibility to ensure these residents stay in their homes, as well as the need for rent control and a mass programme of council house building. We sold 27 copies of the Socialist.

This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 4 April 2016 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.

Donate to the Socialist Party

Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.