All Saints Park from noon Saturday 2nd Aug 14. After two national demonstration’s in a week, fantastic support in Bolton, 2000 in Manchester last week, 1000's out in Rochdale today and many more daily protests, the Stop the War Coalition is hosting a regional demonstration to bring us all together.
Members of the Manchester No Glory in War organization and the Friends of Manchester Peace Garden, concerned to commemorate the outbreak of the war and to remind people that there were voices raised in protest, have organized a ‘pop-up’ theatre event to re-enact two protest meetings held in the city on 2nd August 1914.
Do come along to support any or all of these events.
2 pm outside Manchester Central library
2.45 Albert Square
3.30 St Anns Square
4.15 outside Urbis
On that day there were two large meetings in Manchester with an estimated 3000 people in Stevenson Square listening to ILP activist and suffrage worker Annot Robinson and trade Unionist William Mellor speaking against the war. The other meeting was in Milton Hall on Deansgate where Quaker and socialist James Hudson was arguing for absolute neutrality ( he went on to be a Conscientious Objector and a Labour MP)
On 2nd August 2014 a group of actors and politicians will gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the mass peace rallies which took place around the country in opposition to Britain joining the war. Peace protest frequently gets subsumed by the jingoism of war and often becomes ‘hidden from history’. There are similarities between these protests and the protests of 2003 against the Iraq war.
Next Saturday a special ‘happening/pop up theatre ‘ will take place at designated areas around the city centre from 2pm -5pm, re-creating of the speeches of three women activists who opposed the war. Actors and politicians will play the roles.
They are: -
Sylvia Pankhurst, who will be brought to life by Chilean actor Marcela Hervia
The first woman councilor for Manchester Margaret Ashton –will be played by Julie Ward, newly elected MEP for the North West,
Annot Robertson – Scottish Suffragist and socialist who will be played by actor and Feelgood theatre director Caroline Clegg who is herself on the eve of an Autumn tour of Stephen Macdonald’s award winning WW1 play, Not About Heroes, (coming to The Lowry 5-8th October)
A choir will introduce the event with an anti-war song of the day.
The event is being orchestrated by theatre director and peace activist Hazel Roy who has compiled the speeches based on research by WW1 feminist historian Dr Alison Ronan.
Well done all the public sector workers who had the backbone and moral fibre to stand up and fight not just for themselves but future generations just has their forebears did many times in the last two centuries you are a credit to the giants on whose shoulders you stand.While there are people like you there is always hope.To all those who crossed picket lines you are an embarrassment to those who went before us and cast a stain of shame over their memory.There have always been those who would leach the benefits and improvements won by men and women with the courage to fight for a fairer society for all.
Spend your thirty pieces of silver wisely
Martin McMulkin
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is for peace & justice in Gaza click the title to read more
You may not have heard of the demonstrations at Media City in Salford and Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester on Saturday 12th July as the BBC has hardly mentioned them. The demonstrations were in solidarity with Palestine, and against the BBC's biased coverage of current events not only in Gaza but of other issues too. There will be another demonstration in Piccadilly Gardens at noon on Saturday 19th July.
Click on the link below to see pictures of the Media City Demo.