This afternoon around 15 Anti-Benefit Cuts held a leafleting session outside the Atos assessment centre in Cadogan Street, Glasgow advising other claimants on how to deal with benefits medical examinations. It was part of the 3rd National Day of Protest Against Benefit Cuts being held in at least a dozen cities around Britian organised by a network of claimants' groups. Members of the Crutch Collective, the SWP, SSP and others held up banners and placards declaring that Atos robs from the poor to give to the rich, while IWW songs played in the background. The Work Capability Assessments carried out by Atos have been heavily criticised by CAB, the Child Poverty Action Group and others as being unfair and not based on medical opinion. The process is driven by the government trying to cut 2.5 billion from Employment Support Allowance to pay for the public debt caused by the banks gambling on the financial markets. Those going in for the assessments appreciated what was being done.
Luckily the Glasgow offices of the Daily Mail were just around the corner at 20 Waterloo Street. A number of protesters walked past security on the ground floor and went to offices on the first floor where the Daily Mail staff were kind enough to let them in. All the journalists there were told to stop telling lies about disabled people. They were handed leaflets that stated that the Daily Mail has led the propaganda against the most vulnerable in society, making attacks on benefits for sick and disabled people. Despite aggressive, threatening and inappropriate behaviour from some of the journalists the protesters left peacefully having made their point. Metro journalists in the adjoining office were keen to differentiate themselves from the Daily Mail. The protest continued outside where passing members of the public showed their support. The police were called, but there were no arrests.
http://thecrutchcollective.blogspot.com thecrutchcollective@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crutch-Collective/132893236781931?sk=wall Photos to follow.
Full text of Daily Mail leaflet:
http://thecrutchcollective.blogspot.com/2011/04/daily-mail-glasgow-offices-invaded-by.html