More than 2,200 people took to the streets of Manchester in protest against the Conservative Party, as their conference kicked off in the city centre.
People and unions from all across the UK came to Manchester to mark the first day of the Conservative Party Conference yesterday (Oct 1).
The protest was set to start at midday and march across the areas of the city occupied by the conference.
The start was delayed by rain but this did not stop the protestors from having fun at the expense of the Conservatives.
A woman wearing a face mask of Liz Truss walked towards the start of the protest wearing a blue badge saying: “Big Oil Shill” and holding a red briefcase that said “Ministry of Global Injustice.”
Behind her, came people wearing masks of Rishi Sunak mask and Jacob Rees-Mogg mask, who were holding red briefcases for “The Department of Wealth” and “The Department for Food Insecurity” – both wearing blue badges with BP’s logo.
The former PM impersonator began handing out certificates for “Oli and Gas Extraction” saying: “Take it! It will help you and I get richer!”
Meanwhile, the impersonator of current PM Sunak said: “Take them, they cause no damage to the environment.
“We have our ‘green washers’ as a part of our programme” – as two people began mopping the puddles of raining Manchester.
The protest then marched down Oxford Road, echoing chants of “Tory! Tory! Tory! Out! Out! Out!” and “Whose streets? Our streets!”
They walked next to Oxford Street, but as they weren’t allowed towards St. Peter’s Square due to the security surrounding the conference, they headed towards Deansgate and Castlefield.
At this point, roads were filled with protestors.
Legal observers say this is one of the biggest protests they have seen – 2,200 people in attendance.
As they reached Castlefield Bowl, speeches began.
Daniel Kebede, National Education Union General Secratry had one of the most impactful speeches, blaming the Consevative government for the modern state of UK schools.
He said: “Our schools are crumbling down around our children.
“It is a national scandal that in one of the wealthiest nations millions of children go to bed hungry.”
Meanwhile, Moses M’badu a 54-year-old immigrant from Zimbabwe called the Home Secretary “hypocritical” for saying multiculturalism had failed.
He also criticised the government for making and supplying weapons to the world. He claims this is what is causing a lot of people distress in their homes.
Moving away from this protest, to St. Peter’s square, there was a much smaller amount of people protesting the government.
You could see protestors and Conservative MPs – separated by a barrier.
As Jeremy Hunt walked past, the protestors called him a “thief” and a “racist.”
At the same time, a conservation took place between two protestors, questioning the presence of Jacob Reese Mogg.
One said: “I haven’t seen Jacob Rees-Mogg yet.”
The other replied: “I did, just before you came, he was sheepishly looking out of his window. Never came down this way though.”
This was just the first day of the conference and the first of a string of demonstrations set to run until it finishes on Wednesday.
Featured Image: Shikhar Talwar
