Hands off the peoples in Europe! Hands off George Square!

On a day of mass protest across Europe in opposition to domestic and international ruling class austerity the Glasgow Defence Campaign joined forces with Coalition of Resistance on a march they had organised to show solidarity with the general strikes taking place and opposition to Glasgow City Council plans to sell George Square off to private companies.

A Glasgow Defence Campaign supporter spoke at the demonstration contrasting the vibrancy of the movement in Europe, to Britain where the trade union movement maintains its links to the Labour party, giving them platforms to peddle the illusion that somehow under Labour matters would be different. This is a political standpoint which seeks to deny the true state of affairs and the task which is before us. The crisis is a fundamental crisis of the capitalist system – where there can be no capitalist solutions.

A movement can and must be built in Britain within the communities led by those most affected by the cuts; that movement if it is to be effective must make central to it the need to defend the right to protest and defend all those who face criminalisation for political activities. It is these principles the GDC have been fighting for.

The GDC supporter stated;

Lets be very clear in our own minds this city council...are in cahoots with the police and a state determined to crush and restrict our rights in any effective protest; it starts off with the privatisation of George Square and it ends up with the criminalisation of effective protest...we say that unity is strength and that the resistance must stand firm on the principle of defending democratic rights.

Solidarity with the peoples of Europe!

Hands off George Square!

Defend the right to Protest!

A video from the demonstration to follow...