Marchers battle cuts with Wall of Protest in Highbury Fields
Messages of defiance as 1,000 red balloons are released at pre-rally ‘celebration of unity’
Published: 1st April, 2011
by PAVAN AMARA
A THOUSAND red balloons were released from Highbury Fields on Saturday morning to symbolise opposition to government cuts which will cost Islington £100million over four years.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the park for two hours in what they called “a celebration of unity” before moving on to the mass rally against the cuts in central London, which attracted 500,000 marchers from all over the country.
Slogans and colourful banners were paraded during the Highbury Fields gathering, alongside stalls urging people to make their voices heard.
Labour MPs Emily Thornberry and Jeremy Corbyn and Labour council leader Councillor Catherine West addressed the crowd.
Protesters had spent the morning scrawling grievances on a poignant Wall of Protest, with messages such as “Give us a job” and “We love our NHS”.
Labour councillor Claudia Webbe said: “When I saw this wall, I could not help but think how soulful and passionate it was.
“The strength of the opposition against these cuts is so clear. They are going to hit the vulnerable and poor communities hardest. I’m aware that over 60 per cent of my constituents in Bunhill ward are living on one type of benefit or another, and I care about them and how they feel.
“This wall is much more determined than any wall of silence we may face. This is mass protest, of the kind that’s difficult to ignore.”
Islington resident Francesca Allton, 23, joined the Highbury Fields demonstration with friends.
“Everything was great – the balloons, the many speeches, the buzz of the entire place.” she said.
“It’s a testimony to how strongly people feel about things on the ground. I met Mayor Mouna Hamitouche. I couldn’t help but notice that the atmosphere was very emotionally charged.
“The only thing that could have been better would be the planning. There was so much going on, it was hard to keep tabs on when everything was happening.”
Cllr West said: “People needed to be vocal and they certainly were. They could be heard loud and clear. I listened to so many people talk about their fears for education, the educational maintenance allowance, the NHS and the voluntary sector.”