Thousands of people have gathered in dozens of towns and cities across the UK to register their anger over the cost of living crisis in what organizers are describing as the biggest wave of simultaneous protests seen in the UK for years.
From Eastbourne to Edinburgh, from Newcastle to Norwich, “huge turnouts” were described across the UK in protests timed to coincide with the jump in unit prices for gas and electricity which will see bills rise raise
Co-ordinated between multiple community organizations and unions to maximize their impact, Saturday’s protests were staged in the context of Britain’s biggest rail strike for decades.
At King’s Cross in central London, however, the large station yard was packed with crowds of protesters.
Teaching assistant Farzana Khanom, 23, said she had to choose between paying rising energy bills and investing in her career.
“But if we come together and make our voices heard, maybe we can make a difference,” he said.
Nearby, under a sea of waving union banners and red smoke from a flare, pensioner Paul Mason, 66, said he had turned up because the volume of protesters had the potential to resonate.
Jade Anderson from Taunton (centre) attends the Enough is Enough rally in King’s Cross. Photograph: Andy Hall/The Observer
“It depends on how many people turn up, of course, how big the tide is. Eventually they might listen, but I’m not hopeful. For the last 13 years they [the Tories] they have destroyed the country. Workers cannot afford to live.”
Her friend Sarah Golden, 52, added: “I felt so helpless that we can’t vote for example. I wanted to try and make a difference so I decided to come here.”
As he spoke, the number of signatures on a recently launched petition calling for a general election to “end the chaos of this government” surpassed 300,000.
Across the UK there were reports of people burning their utility bills, a symbolic gesture promoted by Don’t Pay UK, a grassroots movement which has received almost 200,000 pledges from people who are willing to cancel the their direct debits if a million Britons pledge to do so. not pay
The anonymous campaign organizers had originally pledged not to pay from Saturday, the date regulator Ofgem’s price cap was due to be raised, if a million people had signed up. The scale would “give safety in numbers” of repercussions, they argued.
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The limit was due to rise by 80% to £3,549 from October 1, then rose to £5,400 in January. Instead, under Liz Truss’s energy price guarantee, an average annual bill will be capped at £2,500 for two years from Saturday.
The movement was started in June by a small group of friends, who have remained anonymous for fear of the consequences.
Those involved in the campaign seem to fall into two groups: those who can’t pay their bills this winter and those ideologically opposed to the huge profits made in certain sectors of the energy industry who want to send a message to big business by not paying.
People burn their utility bills at the cost of living protests: video
“We will continue to build the strike to the 1 million mark, but local groups have also been building the structures we need in our local communities to protect ourselves and each other from the cold this winter,” the spokesperson added.
The campaigners’ big precedent, the poll tax riots, led to 4 million people refusing to pay – some of whom faced liability orders forcing them to pay – to get the government to scrap the tax
Whether this movement can reach this scale remains to be seen, but perhaps a freezing winter, blackouts and the prospect of civil unrest could trigger further government action.