“Without Care – Victory is Not Possible”
creche and play space for the June 20th National Demonstration (London)
Creche Venue: Common House
Unit 5E Pundersons Gardens,
Bethnal Green, E2
:: a parent and volunteer run creative and fun space for kids of all ages – with painting, games, toys for younger kids and films and printing press workshops for older children. Light and healthy snacks will be served throughout the day. Please bring a packed lunch for your child and spare clothes for little ones in case ::
organised by plan c and friends
email: london@weareplanc.org to volunteer to help out with childcare
booking: please email to book a spot for your child (please let us know the age of child and any allergies or special care requirements)
Plan C is about making plans – real, concrete and achievable plans – to improve the conditions of our lives and to make the strategy of austerity more difficult, costly and ultimately impossible to implement. These plans must include taking seriously the work of organising childcare. We don’t think organising childcare is just a job for Plan C. But in organising childcare for the J20 demo we are challenging the current status quo in the Left that fails to collectively support those with kids and having children in political spaces and events. More than this, we also think that the invisibility of the labour involved in childcare – the labour that enables many people to take part in ‘politics’ in the first place – needs to be challenged and made visible. While some of us are more than happy to take our kids to demos, others of us would prefer to organise childcare options that mean our kids are looked after away from the action. To overcome the divisions in our movement, we can’t simply demand that people ‘unite and fight’. Instead we have to do the work of addressing these rifts by organising and acting in ways that imagine and create a new and different social and political culture, ones that ultimately take us beyond forms of activism and politics that can only take place away from our families, dependents and obligations.
For those that are planning on taking kids to the June 20th Demo:
Sing and Play Against Austerity Bloc on the March
Many of us would like to attend the Anti-Austerity march on 20th June but perhaps feel nervous about bringing our children or are unsure of how the day may unfold. We will meet together at the edges of the march to create a safe protest space for women and children. We will bring songs, fun and play. We will demonstrate peacefulness and gentleness in the face of brutal cuts. We will show women that it is safe to to be heard. That we can show our children that it is possible to stand up for others.
We’ll convene at The Festival Gardens outside St.Pauls: a little green space, slightly away from the main protest. From there we can decide whether to join the march or hang back depending on the mood of the day.
