OVER 300 workers and youth marched from the Altab Ali Park in Aldgate East yesterday afternoon through Whitechapel to the News Line Anniversary Rally in the Theatre, Oxford House, in Bethnal Green, London.
Dozens of youth carrying red flags led the march chanting: ‘Youth demand a future, youth demand jobs.’
People in the busy streets clapped and cheered in support and some joined the march.
At the rally chairman Frank Sweeney said: ‘The News Line is now coming into its own. The world capitalist system is in terminal crisis. The whole thing is unsustainable.’
ATUA National Secretary Dave Wiltshire told the rally: ‘The issue of the day in front of the working class in Britain and worldwide is going forward to workers power.’
He said: ‘The only class that can advance humanity is the working class. There has never been a situation like today. There is no parallel in history. The post-second world war inflationary binge has collapsed. Whole states are going bankrupt.
‘Bankers have been put in charge of Greece. Now they are cutting people’s electricity and jailing trade union leaders who resist them.
‘Italy now has an unelected government. Everyone is appointed. This capitalist system is junking democracy. We must build the leadership that is going to lead the British revolution.’
Tanya Paton from Occupy London Stock Exchange said: ‘We have a banner on which is written “Capitalism is crisis”. It’s at an end. It has nowhere to go.
‘Occupy is amorphous, Everyone is included in the 99 per cent. I have no doubt that the system has no way of sustaining itself. I say to the one per cent watch out, we are not prepared to pay for your crisis.’
Issa Chaer from Syrians in Britain said: ‘We are on the eve of a sectarian war in Syria, supported by the governments of Britain and France. Now armed militants have infiltrated Syria and they have hijacked the peaceful demonstrations in Syria.
‘Yes we want reforms in Syria, but we want peaceful reforms.’
Anna Athow from the BMA Council said: ‘The BMA Council meeting last Thursday passed a resolution completely opposing the Health Bill and committing the BMA to organise a campaign against it.
‘The government want to close at least 40 acute NHS hospitals. In London Chase Farm, King George, Ealing and Central Middlesex face imminent closure of their A&Es.
‘Health Secretary Lansley has said the closure of Chase Farm is a test case. The only way to stop it is through physical occupation.’
Joshua Ogunleye, the YS National Secretary said: ‘There are no jobs for young people. Only masses of sackings. This government is proposing Community Service.
‘It has abandoned stop-and-search and replaced it with stop-and-shoot. Workers and youth are on a revolutionary upsurge. We must bring this coalition down We must go forward to socialism.’
Richard Sheridan from Dale Farm said: ‘96 families in Essex have been deprived of a home and their children have been deprived of an education. The £18 million that Basildon council earmarked for our eviction has worked out at £41 million.’
He added: ‘My little boy is not able to go to school since he has no permanent address. It is very wrong what they have done to us. This government has got to be got rid of.’
The rally was also addressed by Bill Rogers and Jonty Leff.
