Britain is broken: Thousands rally in London, demand general election
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Thousands demand the "Tories get out" and call for general elections now.
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Thousands of protesters with placards take part in the People’s Assembly Against Austerity protest of 'Britain is Broken' in London. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Thousands gathered in central London on Saturday to protest "Tory austerity" and demand an urgent general election, as well as greater support for ordinary people struggling with the cost of living crisis.
The “Britain is Broken” march on parliament was led by trade unions and community organizations, with speakers including Mick Lynch and Jeremy Corbyn.
The People's Assembly Against Austerity organized the rally, which was sponsored by organizations such as CND, Unite, Just Stop Oil, and Extinction Rebellion. Thousands of people marched through central London in the rain from Embankment to Trafalgar Square.
Tens of thousands march through central London in a demonstration against austerity and for a #GeneralElectionN0W @JustStop_Oil @pplsassembly @ExtinctionR @STWuk #Protest #London pic.twitter.com/KIzKbjOdMw
— Richard Ings (@richardcings) November 5, 2022
Michelle Uden, 34, who took her seven-year-old twin boys to the demonstration, told the PA news agency, "We want Rishi Sunak to go, we want greater funding for the NHS, and we don't want it to be privatized."
“We want the Tories out – it’s the only way to get change.” She added she did not believe a general election would be called but wanted her children to see “democracy in action."
Huge protest moving through London now demanding wage rises, lower bills and an end to Tory chaos. #GeneralElectionN0W pic.twitter.com/zi7FuXB1K2
— Seema Syeda 🚩 (@SeemaSyeda_) November 5, 2022
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The general secretary of the Rail, Maritime, and Transport (RMT) union, Mick Lynch, spoke at the march, while former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government would be "forced to listen" to demonstrators pushing for better pay and workers' rights.
“The government is of course eventually forced to listen, as are the rail companies, therefore they have reopened negotiations with the RMT,” he said.
“The people out here are very determined. They’re not going to see people with disabilities discriminated against, they’re not going to see growing impoverishment in our society.”
According to the People's Assembly, the demonstrators are calling for a quick general election, action on poor pay, and the removal of "anti-union" labor regulations.
Represented by my mum today at this large protest in London that most media will no doubt ignore and distract from. #EnoughIsEnough #GeneralElectionN0W pic.twitter.com/VchkAfNt6w
— Dr Anna Ruddock (@annalouruddock) November 5, 2022
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The Conservative Party claims that it has the mandate to form the government due to its Commons majority and that it is not required by law to call a general election until 2024.
However, some argue that two leadership changes since the 2019 general election, both of which were decided by the party alone, as well as internal debates about whether to continue to honor the manifesto on which the party was elected three years ago, mean that mandate is severely outdated and undermined.
Former Labour MP Laura Pidcock, now the People's Assembly's National Secretary, stated, "This Tory government is now totally unaccountable, but outrage is not enough." “We have to come together as a movement to organize on the streets and in our communities and show that our voices will not be silenced and that we want fundamental changes to the way our country is run."
“We will not get that from the politicians. We will only get that from the strength of a united, vibrant movement of working-class people coming together, building together, and making change together.”
Anti-racism organizations also joined the march, calling for the resignation of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary. She has recently come under fire for her language toward immigrants who have attempted to immigrate to the UK from other countries, as well as her handling of the issue at the Manston refugee processing center in Kent.
