Photo: www.juliamiranda.uk

Summit of Resistance signals the beginning of an organised response to a society being driven backwards by all the main political parties

On Saturday 29 March several thousand campaigners, activists, trade unionists and the simply disillusioned gathered in East London for the We Demand Change conference, a day aimed at, and achieving, a bringing together of all the strands of social justice currently so wanting – austerity and the cost of living, war and militarism, the rise of the Far Right, climate disaster etc. – to form a cohesive mass movement that can mobilise for a more positive alternative.

Greener Jobs Alliance is proud to be one of the listed supporters – along with Stand Up To Racism, Peace & Justice Project, Bakers Food & Allied Workers Union, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign Against Climate Change, Strike Map, Trade Union Advisory Group, People’s Assembly, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Just Stop Oil, Disabled People Against Cuts and Fuel Poverty Action. 

Of course many many other groups were represented and provided speakers, but just this list gives a good idea of the breadth of the agenda covered during the course of the day.  Opening and closing plenaries had ‘big names’ (Corbyn, Varoufakis, Owen Jones, Grace Blakely, Zack Polanski) while the workshops featured a range of great grassroots activists – GJA particularly enjoyed Arthur from Youth Demand’s contribution on opposing the Arms Trade, and welcomed the speech by our colleague Sam Mason, speaking on behalf of CND, warning about the ever growing nuclear threat.

Photo: www.juliamiranda.uk

Making the day work was a herculean and admirably performed task that succeeded in generating not just vibrant discussion of ideas and strategies, but in inspiring people to recognise that an alternative to the current direction of travel is possible.  One attendee commented:

‘I feel so much more confident that we can change things after today’ and another ‘There was so much information about tactics and how to organise and what different groups are doing.  Really inspirational.’

GJA and CACC jointly hosted a workshop titled Rushing to Climate Disaster – Mobilising Together to Resist and Overcome.  We won’t go into detail about it here as we will be posting the speeches in filmed and/or written versions in the next few days, but a large crowd heard great contributions by:

Denis Fernando (GJA) set the climate struggle in the global context of Trump, the denialism of the Far Right, and the urgent need for Labour to change course from leaning into right wing narratives.

Avery Simard (JSO) on the importance of direct action, taking the debate to the streets, and the oppressive tactics and police intimidation faced as a result.

Suzanne Jeffery (CACC) emphasised trade unions being on board for the agreed Year of TU Action on climate, and the significance of COP30 being held in the Amazon.

Jonathan Bean (FPA) launched a major new campaign, involving FPA, PJP and Acorn, backed by GJA, CACC and others, for a comprehensive retrofit programme that benefits people not profiteers https://retrofitforthefuture.co.uk/

There was also an audience-based discussion of the important proposition that ‘climate is a working class issue’ which generated a lot of debate on a subject not heard about enough.

Conclusion

The event was a success in being inspirational and uplifting, and galvanising people for further action.  The challenge coming out of the conference is to take that enthusiasm to local communities up and down the country, and to access that mass of disaffection currently bubbling under the surface with no outlet so that it can be directed towards making real change happen for the benefit of all, turning the current downward spiral into an upward one.  That’s no easy task by any stretch, but that process couldn’t have asked for a better start.     

Tahir Latif

GJA Secretary

To find out more about the event, and about future plans, see the We Demand Change website.