Popped along to the demo outside Atos International/Atos healthcare this lunchtime. They're the french company who have the contract for doing the medical tests for moving people from Incapacity Benefit to the newspeak Employment and Support Allowance. Generally they're fascist cunts making money off the back of vulnerable people's misery, and the fact they're french-owned further gives the lie to the idea that privatisation even has anything to do with benefitting Britain (obv it's a bad thign anyways, but the hypocrisy is staggering).
69 per cent of people tested have been refused ESA and have to claim JSA instead (£25 a week less, if I'm right). In 40 per cent of those cases where this has been appealed, the original verdict has been thrown out by the courts, showing full well that everyone knows this process is biased and fucked, and that the whole set-up, though not a 'conspiracy' as such, is clearly providing a gravy train for private companies and lawyers.
Facebook page said 500ish would be there; sadly more like 80 people....Guardian journalist was meant to be there, so hoepfully he was and this will get coverage tomorrow.
Obviously police there in abundance, in case people started rolling menacingly towards the building.