Cardiff Paralympic Homecoming Protest
Disabled People Against Cuts Cardiff | 14.09.2012 22:53
Disabled People Against Cuts supporters went to visit paralympian homecoming parade to do some lowkey leafleting, networking and mingling and astonished to witness another unknown group carrying out anti-atos protest!
UPDATE: PLEASE READ - Cardiff Paralympic Homecoming Protest
It's been an eventful day for DPAC Cardiff. We did not protest at the Paralympic Homecoming today at the Senedd (Welsh 'Parliament' - Ed), we simply circulated in the crowd wearing our Atos Kills Disabled People high-viz jackets and handed out leaflets about how Atos is destroying our lives (we handed out 700 leaflets in half an hour - we clearly need to print ten times this many for such events - can anyone help with bulk printing?) We had a lovely afternoon/evening enjoying the Paralympians' Homecoming event, particularly singing along to the Welsh male-voice choirs who sang such favourites as Calon Lan and I Bob Un Sy'n Ffyddlon, which we enjoyed so much we decided we will form a DPAC Cardiff Choir. The spectators were hugely supportive of us and we had many congatulations on our direct actions of last week and the week before. Lots of people asked to join us, the oldest being just under 100 years old!
During the event and to our complete surprise and utter gobsmackeration, a horn sounded from the top of the Pierhead Building immediatedly behind us... and as we and several thousand spectators and assembled government ministers, paralympians, press, police, etc, turned around, a huge banner unfurled saying ATOS KILLS. Everyone looked at us. We said, er... that wasn't us. No idea who did that. Aparently there was an arrest? The BBC report says "here was disruption as six protesters scaled scaffolding on the outside of Cardiff Bay's Pierhead building. They were protesting at the involvement of Olympics' sponsor IT firm Atos, which carries out "fit for work" assessments for the UK government." Anyone know who these people are? One thing we're sure of, not a single member of DPAC Cardiff has the ability to scale a two-metre-high fence and seven storeys of scaffolding completely unnoticed by the several thousand people and several hundred police and security guards standing below - if we had these skills and abilities, we wouldn't be facing homelessness and destitution as a result of Atos, we'd be in the SAS.
We've also heard that the front of the Senedd was covered in graffiti during the night that said ATOS KILLS. That wasn't DPAC Cardiff either. So there appear to be three different disability protest groups operating in Cardiff. Can anyone tell us about the other two?
It's been an eventful day for DPAC Cardiff. We did not protest at the Paralympic Homecoming today at the Senedd (Welsh 'Parliament' - Ed), we simply circulated in the crowd wearing our Atos Kills Disabled People high-viz jackets and handed out leaflets about how Atos is destroying our lives (we handed out 700 leaflets in half an hour - we clearly need to print ten times this many for such events - can anyone help with bulk printing?) We had a lovely afternoon/evening enjoying the Paralympians' Homecoming event, particularly singing along to the Welsh male-voice choirs who sang such favourites as Calon Lan and I Bob Un Sy'n Ffyddlon, which we enjoyed so much we decided we will form a DPAC Cardiff Choir. The spectators were hugely supportive of us and we had many congatulations on our direct actions of last week and the week before. Lots of people asked to join us, the oldest being just under 100 years old!
During the event and to our complete surprise and utter gobsmackeration, a horn sounded from the top of the Pierhead Building immediatedly behind us... and as we and several thousand spectators and assembled government ministers, paralympians, press, police, etc, turned around, a huge banner unfurled saying ATOS KILLS. Everyone looked at us. We said, er... that wasn't us. No idea who did that. Aparently there was an arrest? The BBC report says "here was disruption as six protesters scaled scaffolding on the outside of Cardiff Bay's Pierhead building. They were protesting at the involvement of Olympics' sponsor IT firm Atos, which carries out "fit for work" assessments for the UK government." Anyone know who these people are? One thing we're sure of, not a single member of DPAC Cardiff has the ability to scale a two-metre-high fence and seven storeys of scaffolding completely unnoticed by the several thousand people and several hundred police and security guards standing below - if we had these skills and abilities, we wouldn't be facing homelessness and destitution as a result of Atos, we'd be in the SAS.
We've also heard that the front of the Senedd was covered in graffiti during the night that said ATOS KILLS. That wasn't DPAC Cardiff either. So there appear to be three different disability protest groups operating in Cardiff. Can anyone tell us about the other two?
Disabled People Against Cuts Cardiff
Comments
Display the following comment