Social organizations and trade unions from the UK marched this Saturday and will continue to march through the country’s main cities throughout the weekend to protest against the rise in energy prices and the high cost of living.
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Several demonstrations are planned in London, Brighton, Plymouth, Aberdeen, Birmingham and Bradford, among others, over strikes by railway and postal workers.
Joining the current ‘Don’t pay UK’ campaign is the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement to urge Liz Truss’ new Conservative government to take immediate action to deal with the crisis.
The convening organizations are calling for a general pay rise to stem inflation, free meals at all levels of education, improvements in home heating systems and more taxes for businesses and wealthy individuals.
The new wave of mobilizations coincides with the start of measures to cap household energy prices, which nonetheless rose by an average of £1,971 ($2,200) to £2,500 ($2,790).
Some activists took to social media to announce they would burn their energy bills during the protests, and some 200,000 families threatened not to pay the bill until the government takes action to protect the most vulnerable.
“Taxes on the rich” and “Freeze prices, not people” are some of the banners read among protesters who marched towards Westminster Abbey in central London this Saturday.
UK inflation is at an all-time high, sterling is at an all-time low and concerns are mounting as winter approaches, analysts insist.