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Sally McMahon, Kathy Claxton, Islington mayor Stefan Kasprzyk, Hazel Werner and Emma McMahon, 13 |
March remembers Tolpuddle Martyrs
IT didn’t just to mark the magnificent example of the Tolpuddle Martyrs – Saturday’s march through Islington by more than 500 people was also a marvellous celebration of British trade unionism.
In perfect sunshine – and with the threat of jobs being lost in the current recession – the historic event attracted trade unionists and radicals from all over the country.
Speakers included TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady, an Islington resident, who said that with firms threatened with closure and workers expecting to do more for less wages, trade unions were more important than ever.
Guests included Islington mayor Lib Dem councillor Stefan Kasprzyk, Emily Thornberry, MP for Finsbury and Islington South, singer Billy Bragg and folk singer Martin Carthy, who performed at Edward Square.
A plaque was unveiled at the clocktower on Market estate, scene of the original Tolpuddle demonstration 175 years ago, on what was then Copenhagen Fields.
A parade led by Islington Trades Union Council with its colourful banner then wound its way down Caledonian Road to Edward Square for an afternoon of music and speeches.
In 1834 more than 150,000 people demonstrated in Copenhagen Fields in support for the Martyrs – a group of six poor West Country farm labourers deported to Australia for union activities.
The protest was critical in securing the eventual return and release of the Martyrs, as well as preventing any plans that the government of the day had for criminalising the unions.
The event is commemorated locally by the mural on the side of the Mitre pub on Copenhagen Street.
One of the organisers of the event, Law Centre worker David Renton, said he was pleased to hear UNITE union representative Kevin Nolan, who had been organising picketing at a firm in Enfield where 227 workers, many with 40 years’ experience, were “suddenly made redundant”.
Mr Renton, who attended with his four-year-old son Sam, said it was a great day for trade unionism. “The festival has shown that trade unionists are beginning to be seen and fighting back after years in the doldrums,” he said.
Labour councillor Paul Convery gave a moving account of local radical campaigners who have died in the past year, including Barnsbury activist Lisa Pontecorvo, Phil Jeffries, and Brian Kemp from
King’s Cross. “These were local people who made a difference,” Cllr Convery said. “And they should never be forgotten.” |
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