On Sunday 3rd October approximately 20,000 people marched down Oxford Road to protest the Conservative Party Conference.
The protest was organised by The People’s Assembly. Starting at 1pm, the protest was preceded by a speech from a horse drawn carriage provided by the National Bargee Travellers Association, a Gypsy-Roman group. Multiple other groups had a visible presence with the unions Unite, Unison and CWT flying balloons and walking with banners.
Mancunian’s from all walks of life showed up to protest the Tories with a diverse showing that cut across age groups. Everyone from children to students to pensioners marched against Boris Johnson’s government to show their disdain for over a decade of Tory rule.
I am marching for everyone who has ever been treated as lesser for who they are.”
Multiple student activist groups also attended the demonstration. Amber Barrow, Deputy Chair of the University of Manchester’s Feminist Collective, told The Mancunion that she was “marching today because we need a government that listens to the people. We need a government that protects people of marginalised genders on the streets … I am marching for everyone who has ever been treated as lesser for who they are.”
Photo: Reece Ritchie
Spearheading the protest were Labour MPs Richard Burgon and Barry Gardiner alongside Black Lives Matter activists and representatives from People’s Assembly and various other groups.
Following the march, the protest culminated in a rally at Deansgate Docks with speeches from the various groups. All the speakers expressed dismay with the current government and were highly critical of Boris Johnson’s leadership of the country. They also took aim at the Cabinet, with Priti Patel receiving criticism for her immigration policies.
There was a heavy police presence on the march with at least 20 police vans positioned around the University of Manchester’s Oxford Road campus alongside police horses. The actual Tory Party Conference at the Britannia Hotel was also guarded by the police, with officers even being drawn in from Merseyside to support GMP.
