ON Sunday 28 October, 40,000 people marched through London to protest against t 9.30am Congress House STEWARDS arrive for a meeting at the TUC. Official representatives trade unions and trades councis and Laly women from the campaign groups receive armbands and badges saying. 'TUC steward'.
People remark that these should be sent to a museum of feminist history — to commemorate the TUC calling demonstration for women's abortion rights. official meeting by going through the timetable and explaining the order of the march. We are to steward in teams.
We have to line up behind the chief stewards for each section picking teams for games at school. The women mainiy.opt women's movement sections for the march, and after a Sort yourselves out, girls' or two we pile into a coach taking us to Hyde Park. 11.30am Speakers' Corner THE Liverpool train has with hundreds anti-Corrie demonstrators Hundreds of coaches are dotting the motorways that encircle few are already at Hyde Park.
In London itself the tubes are full of demonstrators. The mood is defiant. On the journey from. Finsbury Park to Marble Arch (not forgetting to change at Oxford Circus) Haringey NAC яге doing a brisk sale in badges.
In Hyde Park itself the stage is set.
testing equipment. stewards are hurriedly pinning on their wadges... 12 noon HYDE PARK is coming cranks and tourist attractions completely swamped as on all occasions. Hundreds of trade union banners [mainly NALGO, ASTMS, going up. The person mag amoancements.
They sound weird coming from his mouth: 'Will the sisters of Bury NAC assemble at point X' Arainst Corrie assemble at point Y', and so on.
Thousands of unionists, particularly the public sector where the far left is strong, a tew hundred from the industrial unions, the largest contingent England sections of the GMWU, and again thousands of supporters from the women's movement are there.
The picture that demonstration is that it is mainly the women's movement, and mobilised by the left groups. The TUC may have given the green light for the come out demonstration, but for its own part it mobilised no more than a few hundred full-time officials.
Some of us think back to the James White demo and think how far we've come since then. 1pm still in Hyde Park...
ROCK Against Roles and London Zoo are blaring out across the park. Song sheets I've got a brand new Private Members' Bill' punks and trade unionists alike. Liberation banner charges across Hyde Park shouting: 'Women at the front', the march'...the TUC •women ego has cocked it up again.
1.30pm PAM SHEPHERD was in the CPSA contingent directly behind the TUC banner reading: Keep it legal, Keep it "At first we thought we were stopping because of the traffic, then we saw women rushing by.
"I wandered up, Murray telling the having leading the march. This is our march. If they want to lead the march they can go elsewhere.' 'The CPSA contingent of several hundred were soon persuaded to leave Len Murray behind arguing and join the women. We had to through the police and TUC stewards " get were doever.
'We tried to persuade the Society of Socialist Challenge 1 November 1979 abortion ıge] starts the to steward the almost of aboard.
London. A alive. The яге such white collar:
CPSA, NUT] are starts iwill the Gays white-collar trade North emerges of the those on the are being passed to Women's and heard Len police and press being wouldn't budge.
time it narrowed.
fight our way 'Our Civil and Public Servants to join us but Jama encu union they The women marched off and the TUC followed keeping a gap behind — a gap that Len Murray kept by slowing down the demo every assistant general sécretary, Alisdair Graham, kept on grabbing the CPSA banner to try and get back with I the TUC but our rank and file members him. All he was worried about was damaging his career with the TUC 2pm at last we're off DOWN Park Lane we pass the Playboy Club. A Bunny sits on the window. If it's a provocation, it works.
Women chant
castration on demand' and women's army is marching' I repeatedly. Men who venture into this contingent get a cool reception. The tanners "london. women's Rib, Birmingham about. 2.45pm arrival at the Square REACH Free London "The is sune …fe the •al the Liberation, Spare Women's Liberation. Women's Aid placards are dotted Trafalgar Square.
Women's Libération breaks into a trot and tries to take their banner platform where Len Murray and Marie Patterson are sitting in state.
The police stop them and & breaks out 'Women's banner platform'. Then some women chant 'Not the unions, not the women will decide their fate'. TUC, realising this slogan is not popular, remains intractable 3pm... meanwhile back in Hyd BACK IN the park Carade Corrie finally moves off.
Corrie anti-abortion Bill. Val Coultas and Tariq Ali were with them. which make tonsens ta
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• NIS ABORTION ON DEMIND
A WOMANS got so angry they physically removed
T.U.C. ABO KEEP I KEEP CAMPAIC THE LO