March organiser Tyrek Morris, right, gave a speech to a socially distanced crowd at Piccadilly Gardens.
Chants of “no justice, no peace, take to the streets and f*** the police” could be heard yesterday as protestors marched through Manchester in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Around 100 protestors walked from St Peter’s Square to Piccadilly Gardens via Deansgate and the Arndale at 2.30pm yesterday, causing temporary traffic jams in the city centre.
The march took place while talks are being held between Boris Johnson and Andy Burnham, under speculation over Greater Manchester being forced into a Tier 3 lockdown.
Becca Withers, front and centre, was one of more than 100 people who participated in the march from St Peter’s Square to Piccadilly Gardens via Deansgate.
“Our demands do not wait for a pandemic,” said Becca Withers, one of the organisers of the march.
21-year-old Tyrek Morris, a journalism student at Manchester Metropolitan University, is one of the founding members of All Black Lives UK, a youth led organisation protesting and working towards change across the globe.
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Speaking to The Manc before leading yesterday’s march, he said: “So far, we’ve had all these protests, and nothing is really changing.
“Positive change is coming, but there’s a long way to go.”
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Formed in June 2020, All Black Lives UK are campaigning on five main demands, including to commit to ending discrimination, specifically in relation to stop and search figures.
In the year ending March 2019, black people in Manchester were nearly three times more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts, relative to population size.
And during the same time period, black people were eight times more likely to be stopped and searched within Greater Manchester, according to government statistics.
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Protestors also want a commitment from local and national government to end racial health disparities, and from schools and universities to work towards ending racially targeted bullying and teach about British history in relation to the empire.
Leaflets which were handed out to passers by said that in 2018/19, black people in Manchester were 3.5 times more likely to face force tactics by Greater Manchester Police.
Signs held by protestors included messages like “Decolonise the curriculum”, “Destroy systemic racism” and “Pull down the racist statues.”
On arrival in Piccadilly gardens, protestors gathered in the centre while different speakers took it in turn to say their bit in support of the cause.
Mr Morris added: “We can’t wait for our lives to matter. Racism is a pandemic in itself and the fact we are still willing to march during these times shows much people care about the movement.”
News
Hundreds of staff to strike at four Greater Manchester hospitals next week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week.
More than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – are walking out for three days next week after union UNISON says an offer to ‘resolve’ a dispute was withdrawn before discussions could take place.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 24, Wednesday 26, and Friday 28 August.
In particular, staff from all four sites will also gather in Salford on Wednesday (26 August) for a ‘unified’ day of protest.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
“Those at the top of NCA have shown a lack of leadership and made their disregard for their staff clear,” explained UNISON North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan.
“A deal was put on the table but taken away before we had chance to talk it over. We are ready to continue negotiations, but it’s obvious NCA has no intention of resolving this.
“This isn’t complicated. Staff are simply asking for what their contract says they’re entitled to. Nothing more.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Wetherspoons introduces new phone rule at all UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’
Emily Sergeant
JD Wetherspoon has announced a major new phone rule in all its sites across the UK after customers complain of being ‘driven nuts’.
The pub chain – which has nearly 800 branches across the UK – announced earlier this week that it has made the decision to ban people from playing music or videos out of their phones, and from taking calls on loudspeaker.
The ban, which has been introduced effective immediately, follows a rising number of complaints from customers about the noise – with owners saying sounds from smartphones and tablet computers had become an ‘increasing problem’ in recent years.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, says he wants Wetherspoon pubs to be ‘an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation’.
Wetherspoons has introduced a new phone rule at all its UK pubs after customers are ‘driven nuts’ / Credit: Allan Rohmer (via Unsplash)
A formal statement from the company announcing the ban reads: “Following complaints from customers, who are being driven nuts by other people’s videos and amplified phone conversations, Wetherspoon has asked customers to switch their phones to silent or to use earphones.”
Tim Martin added: “In order to avoid customers being driven chicken jalfrezi by a cacophony of sound, we are kindly asking phone users to pipe down.”
Wetherspoon’s ban follows a YouGov poll conducted last year questioning public opinion on a proposition made by the Liberal Democrats of introducing fines of up to £1,000 for ‘headphone dodgers’ who play music out loud on buses and trains.
62% of people, on average, said they would back this move if it was introduced.
The poll, which surveyed 6,815 British adults, found that almost three-quarters of those over 65 would support the fines, while those aged between 18 and 24 were split 47% to 43% in favour of it.
Early public reactions to Wetherspoon’s ban appears to be overwhelmingly positive.
Sam Ormiston -
19th October 2020 
