About 35,000 protesters march against cuts in Manchester

Around 35,000 demonstrators took to the streets of Manchester in the UK yesterday as the Conservative Party conference began in the city.

The huge protest swamped the city centre, marching past the heavily guarded venue where Prime Minister David Cameron’s Tory party is gathered.

Blowing whistles and horns and waving flags and banners claiming Cameron’s Tory Fat Cats were to blame for coalition public sector cuts the noisy demo chanted “Tories out!” as they began the march.

Organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), it was billed as a march and rally for “The Alternative – jobs, growth, justice” in opposition to the coalition’s axing of public services and pensions.

Huge numbers of mainstream public sector unions and workers, including fire fighters and teachers, took part along with a range of left-wing activists.

Police were on alert for extremists attempting to hijack the peaceful union protest, with mounted police, vans and officers lining the march route but no arrests were made.

Darren Nicholl, 41, a teacher from Manchester, wheeled his son, Luca, aged two, asleep through all the noise, in a buggy carrying a banner saying ‘We love Sure Start’.

Mr Nicholl said: “I’m here protesting against the proposed closure of Sure Start in Burnage.

“I have just recovered from cancer and there is no way the family would have got back on track without our Sure Start centre.

“The march is great, ordinary people need a greater voice.”

As the march snaked past the Manchester Central conference centre protesters chanted: “Tory scum, off our streets” and “David Cameron on your bike, we want a general strike!”

Gerry Collier, 64, from Manchester, said: “I’m here to show solidarity, and I’m against the government policy of cuts and attacks on pensions. The march has been good so far, there are thousands of people here, but I doubt the Tories will listen, probably not, knowing Tories.”

Mr Collier, whose job is testing fire alarms added: “I think it’s important people are not isolated and don’t feel on their own, if their bosses are having a go, people struggling and fighting the cuts, unemployment and attacks on pensions.

“It’s important people know they are not on their own in this.”

At the end of the march protesters converged for a mass rally.

Tony Lloyd, MP for Manchester Central, to a round of applause and cheers, told the crowd: “One blue is even less welcome here than Carlos Tevez, and that’s David Cameron. David Cameron is not welcome in this city!”

Len McCluskey, general secretary of the Unite union, told the crowd: “We need a coalition of resistance, of trade unions, community groups, church organisations, and students and of our senior citizens.”