People resist the Banks' bail-out

Around 250 workers and students responded to call-outs for a demonstration outside the Bank of England last Friday. L&S members participated, our banner reading 'capitalism IS crisis'. We also stressed that worker's self organisation was needed, not simply more government intervention on working peoples' behalf.

The demonstration was quite lively, with the crowd clearly seeing the banks as responsible, rather than just passive participants in the crisis, and the normal peace of the City was broken as the crowd charged the banks and exclusive shopping arcades around Threadneedle Street. The police were put on the back foot (and even on the floor once or twice), which is surprising considering how intense they normally are in central London, and the crowd broke through their cordons repeatedly. Fortunately there were no arrests to our knowledge. All in all this was exactly the spectacle anti-capitlaists had hoped for - drawing a clear link between the unseen and abstract 'financial crisis' that we read about in the papers, and the actually real and physical institutions and people responsible. A demonstration that people are angry and ready to fight back. The message is simple: this is not a list of numbers on a page, this is a political struggle and it involves you whether you.

A similar demonstration has been called in Edinburgh for the 24th of October, at the top of the mound, at 4:30 (see http://scotland.indymedia.org/node/11368). L&S will be represented at this event, some come down and join us in expressing our anger.

Glasgow L&S is also in the process of helping set up an explanatory meeting about the current crisis, the details of which will be made available on this website.