Press Release: People’s Climate March and Lobby of the Labour Party, Manchester, Sunday 21st September 2014

LabourLobbyBannerVar2The People’s Climate March is expected to be the largest global demonstration on Climate Change ever (1). The Manchester march will leave Piccadilly Gardens at approximately 11:30AM led by the PCS Samba Band and will be taking the route shown in the attached map. The march will pass in front of the Midland Hotel, where the Labour Party is holding its annual conference, and will pass beneath the press gallery outside the venue.

The end point of the rally is Barbirolli Square for speeches, which will commence at approximately 12:15PM. Friends of the Earth will have their puppet “Mr Frack Head” in the square all day.

The Trade Union campaign One Million Climate Jobs (2) will be launching their new report, which has a feature on fracking in Salford, which will be given out to delegates.

The rally has been organised by Frack Free Greater Manchester, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, The Green Party of England and Wales and the Greater Manchester Association of TUCs.

The purpose of the lobby is to call upon Labour’s Shadow Cabinet, Labour MPs and the party as a whole:

  • To oppose the passage of the Infrastructure Bill (a.k.a. “Fracking under our Homes Bill”)
  • To give a Manifesto commitment to ban fracking for shale gas, coal bed methane extraction & underground coal gasification.
  • To give a Manifesto commitment that, if elected, they will implement the proposals of the One Million Climate Jobs report

The MC at Barbirolli Square will be award winning comedienne Jenny Ross. Speakers include Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, John McDonnell, Labour MP, Anne Power, Observer Ethical Awards Local Hero Winner, Tina Louise, Nanas Against Fracking, Ian Hodson, President Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Penny Hicks, Manchester People’s Assembly, Clara Paillard, Northwest Trade Union Councils, Helen Rimmer, Friends of the Earth, Stephen Hall, GMATUC, Martin Porter, Frack Free Greater Manchester and Greenpeace.

Natalie Bennett said “With world leaders gathering in New York next week, it’s important that we deliver a message that we don’t just need words backing action on cutting emissions of climate change gases, we need actual action, policies that will make a difference.

“That this government – with its disturbingly close ties to the fossil fuel industry – has embraced the fracking fantasy is not surprising.

“That the official ‘opposition’ is also supporting fracking is both surprising and disturbing. It calls into question not only their judgement, but also their commitment to tackling the immensely urgent reality of climate change.

“As I said at Green Party conference, there is no life as we know it on a six-degree-warmed world.”

Martin Porter said “Climate Change is the war our generation must win. If we get this right the future will be eternally grateful to us. If we get it wrong, we may not have a future. Those of us who were at Barton Moss last winter were on the front line of this battle. The people of Manchester supported us then, and they are supporting us now as we call on the Labour Party to ban this unwanted, unnecessary and unsafe fuel. We want clean energy, clean water and One Million Climate jobs.

ENDS

1) People’s Climate March

2) One Million Climate jobs Copies will be available for the media on Sunday.

RevisedMarchRoute

1 comment

  1. Outstanding !!

Leave a Reply to key Harley Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.