Jarrow March: Campaigners Recreate 1936 Protest Trek

Campaigners Recreate 1936 Jarrow March

A group of activists who recreated the famous 1936 Jarrow March for Jobs have completed their journey.

They were joined by hundreds of supporters as they finished the 330-mile trek from the North East to London to highlight how Government cuts were "affecting everyone apart from the rich".

Dozens of people took part in the march from the North East to London, where a rally was held at Temple and in Trafalgar Square.

Youth Fight for Jobs, which organised the march, handed in a petition to 10 Downing Street calling for a huge Government job scheme, apprenticeships, the reinstatement of Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), the reopening of axed youth services and action on tuition fees.

Lizi Grey, whose great-grandfather Michael McLoughlin took part in the original march 75 years ago, was among those taking part in the protest march, which started on October 1.

The 17-year-old college student from Gateshead said: "The stories I've heard from his son - my grandfather - were that they were very well received in all of the towns that they went to, and we have had the same experience. I think a lot of that is to do with communities feeling that the cuts are starting to bite and it's affecting everyone apart from the rich and the people making the decisions."

She added: "It's taken us five weeks to march the whole 330 miles but it feels amazing."

In 1936, 200 jobless men marched from Jarrow in north east England to London with a 12,000-name petition calling for government action to create jobs.

A separate group of protesters marched from St Paul's Cathedral to Trafalgar Square holding Strike Together To Win placards.

Police formed a line to stop them moving down Whitehall towards Parliament. Brief scuffles broke out as the demonstrators tried to force their way through the police line, but they were unsuccessful.

Close

What's Hot