More than a dozen people from North Herts marched against austerity in Manchester on Sunday in a demonstration which coincided with the Conservative party conference held in the city.
Reports in the national media have highlighted unsavoury incidents among protestors marching against the government’s austerity programme, but North Herts Labour group leader Frank Radcliffe told the Comet that the actions of the 80,000-strong crowd was overwhelmingly peaceful and good-natured.
He said: “We don’t condone the misconduct of a few people, but what we saw was a huge number peacefully protesting against austerity cuts which harm the weakest in our society – including more than a dozen from the North Herts branch of the People’s Assembly who had made the trip to Manchester.”
Kasia Burke from Hitchin, also attended the march with her husband Martin, added: “The atmosphere on the march, and the people that were there, was all very positive.
“It’s not about angry protestors, and one isolated incident with an egg, it’s about 80,000 people – including families and workers from across the whole spectrum of society – exercising their democratic right to protest peacefully against the government’s austerity cuts.”
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