250,000 people took to the streets of London in one of the biggest anti-austerity protests in the UK so far, as the Conservative Chancellor George Osborne prepared to make further spending cuts of £25 billion. The protest was called by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, a broad coalition of left and progressive groups and individuals. The massive and angry demonstration, which began outside the Bank of England and marched to a rally at Parliament Square, expressed the depth of opposition to the policies which have already left a million people dependent on food banks to survive, and child poverty rapidly growing, fuelled by the hated ‘bedroom tax’ and sweeping welfare cuts. It brought together trade unionists, students, anti-racist and migrants’ rights campaigners, anti-war activists and many others with placards and banners proclaiming ‘End austerity now’, ‘Austerity kills – kill austerity’, ‘Cut war not welfare’ and ‘Homes and education – not racist deportations!’.
