1000 people joined the’Day X for the NHS’ militant march from the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel to Barts Hospital via the City on Wednesday 9th March.
The opening rally included speeches from Mike Marqusee, a Patient at Barts, and Charlotte, about her experience of the NHS which saved her son’s life. She said her sons care depended who works there, Porters and cleaners as well as Doctors and nurses.
Paul Brandon, chair of Right to Work, called for protests at the banks as the march proceeds past the very institutions which are responsible for the economic crisis and the cuts.
The march went past RBS at Aldgate, with police lines protecting it. Protestors chanted “put the bankers into jail, NHS not for sale’.
Bishopsgate was blocked by 200 people staging a die-in in the road.
What was most impressive was the make up of the protest, mainly of health workers and medical and nursing students, with delegations from the Royal London, Barts, Mile End, The Homerton, City and Hackney East London Mental health, UCLH, Royal Free, Guys and St Thomas’s as well as Kings, UCL, and City Universities.
There were also delegations from local Post workers TSSA, UCAT and UNITE.
The Demo had been built mainly by medical and nursing students who leafleted Hospitals across London and brought the spirit of the new student movement to the Protest. As Ed, a health worker from Barts explained “It was brilliant and has boosted the confidence of all the health workers from the Barts and the London who took part. We now need to organise a meeting inside the Hospitals to get a large delegation to the TUC Demo on March 26th.
The protest was called by Right to Work, Keep Our NHS Public and Tower Hamlets Hands Off Our Public Services.
Report on the build up to the demo click here
pics Kelvin Williams and Paul Brandon
