We all like peaceful protest. When the Iraq War broke out in 2003, my political consciousness awoke. I was 16, in my final year of high school. Many of my schoolmates rushed out of school in a mass lunchtime exodus, up Manchester's Oxford Road to the protest outside the town hall. All afternoon we marched through the streets shouting "Don't attack Iraq", "Not in my name" and "No more blood for oil". The police were violent that day, though the protesters, many of whom were no older than myself remained peaceful. I myself was charged by a police horse whilst at the front of the large crowd they had blocked off at the top of John Dalton Street. Somehow I ended up sprawled on the ground (unhurt) on the other side of the police line, homemade placard lost.
When Bush was in town later in the year, I wasn't so peaceful (though the march was). I was angry at the police and ended up being the only arrest of the evening. Not my finest hour. Over the years I have been on many peaceful demonstrations. They're not at all pointless. They show those in charge that the people are not going to be quiet and docile and accept whatever crap they're given. And yet I have always felt that direct action can be a lot more effective - though my police caution deterred me from doing anything to risk another arrest.
I have never been involved in violent protest myself, though I admit to feeling a wry smile spread across my face when the Tory HQ was ransacked by students at the end of last year. I do not think there is anything fundamentally wrong with violence directed against the property of the organisation being protested against. The problem with this kind of damage is the damage it does to one's own cause. We on the left already face a hostile media. Why give them more fuel to their bonfire of lefties and commies? If we are going to take direct action it needs to be eloquent, well argued and not wantonly violent.
A look around UK Uncut's website shows us an organisation who present both a compelling and well reasoned argument, and an imaginative new way of taking direct action. Its members target high street stores owned by tax evaders or tax evading companies and organise sit-in protests. Yet these are not just good old fashioned sit-ins; they turn the stores into arts spaces, have stand-up comedy sessions, choir recitals. This isn't just rowdy protesters making a scene, but something which will engage and entertain members of the public.
What UK Uncut are doing is not necessarily new. We've been seeing flash-mobs for a few years now, as well as political stunts organised through the internet. Last year for example, anti-homeopathy activists gathered outside Boots stores to swallow bottles of homeopathic "remedies" in protest at the company's decision to sell medicines science deems ineffective. Sit-ins too are nothing new, they go back to the days of student protest in the 1960s. What UK Uncut have done however is to bring these ideas together to create a political movement which is both vibrant and powerful. This is the true spirit of direct action.
Yesterday, UK Uncut held numerous sit-ins and other events around London to mark a day of protests in the capital and other cities, against the huge and unjust public spending cuts which will leave many people to face huge hardships. In particular, the bail-in at Fortnum and Mason grabbed the attention, as police arrested numerous peaceful protesters. Sally Mason, a UK Uncut supporter from Manchester who was involved in the occupation said: "We weren't just going to march from A to B and be ignored, people are prepared to take civil disobedient action because they are angry at the unfairness of these cuts. Fortnum & Mason is a symbol of wealth and greed. It is where the Royal Family and the super-rich do their weekly shop and a picnic hamper costs £25,000. This sits in stark contrast to everyone else who is struggling to make ends meet, fill in their tax returns and benefits forms, and face huge student debts, unemployment and the closure or dismatling of their local services that we need and depend on such as the NHS, libraries and leisure centres."
UK Uncut are not alone in their view that these cuts are unnecessary and ideological. They are not alone in their view that a better solution would be to tackle tax evasion which costs the treasury an estimated £95bn per year - easily enough to cover the £81bn in public service cuts over four years. The TUC's march yesterday was important, and no doubt showed the government what people think about the cuts. But it is UK Uncut who are really sticking it to the man. A tax evader might not pay any attention to a protest march, but when one of his shops is shut down it will affect him. At the same time their presence on the high streets of Britain offers them a chance to connect with people, they may make enemies, but they will also make friends and influence people who'd never even thought about the real issues facing us today.
The other interesting thing about UK Uncut is that they are a loose grassroots organisation, connected primarily via social networking. Events are organised around the country by small groups and individuals who share a disgust at the cuts and a determination to take action, even if it means getting arrested. In a video posted on The Guardian website last month, UK Uncut co-founder Daniel Garvin explained: "We've seen... opposition movements in this country become quite stale. The anti-war movement was a classic example. You'd march from the US Embassy to Parliament Square every other month or so until the numbers just go down and down and down because A - the government doesn't listen to that sort of protest and B - people get extremely tired and bored of hearing the same people speak and just trudging up and down in the rain. They want to feel more part of the process... I think there are a lot of people that are really disaffected with politics and want much more control in saying what they do."
UK Uncut continues to grow as a movement. An organisation US Uncut has formed in the states, inspired by UK Uncut to tackle corporate tax cheats over there. Will it succeed? Who can say. One thing is known, our public services are part of what makes this country great, and are under threat from a government with an extremist neo-liberal ideology. We need to stand up and defend them before it's too late. Whether you're a fan of direct action or not, UK Uncut are a huge part of that fight and their efforts should be applauded.
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