Bankers occupy the DWP - Photos

Icon_article Star Published: March 11, 2009 20:39 by butterflea

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Neighbourhoods: central_london

On Monday (9th March 2009) more than 20 activists dressed as bankers staged an occupation at the Department of Work and Pensions.

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bankers throwing money around

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Child Rearers Against Patriarchy / Poverty

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banker steals money from children

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Stop the Welfare Abolition Bill

On Monday morning, just after 11am, around twenty activists, including 2 children, dressed as bankers, took over the lobby of the Department of Work and Pensions' Adelphi House. The aim of the occupation was to protest against the Welfare Reform Bill which was designed by bankers, penalises the poor and abolishes income support for single parents and incapacity benefit.

Carrying banners saying "target the rich not the poor", and "stop the welfare abolition bill", the lobby was occupied until 1pm.

Adelphi House is one of the two main sites of the Department of Work and Pensions.

The occupation took place to launch a week of action against the Welform Reform (Abolition) Bill, whose Green Paper was drafted by staff at Adelphi House and which has its third reading on the 17th of March.

The Bill contains among other things proposals to:

-Abolish income support for single aprents and disabled people

-Introduce a compulsory work for benefits system in a US-style workfare system

-Privatise more of the work of JobCentre Plus to companies which will be paid more the less benefits they award

-Share claimants' information with police

The week of action has been called by London Coalition Against Poverty, Feminist Fightback and the Disabled Peoples Direct Action Network. The action on Monday was attended by activists from many other antipoverty, feminist and anarchist groups, including London Anarchafeminist Kolektiv and CRAP! Collective (Child rearing Against Patriarchy).

 

More information about the bill and the week of action against the bill can be found at www.lcap.org.uk and feministfightback.org.uk. There are actions planned for the whole week.

Not the best photos I'm afraid.

 

 

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