A People's Man

       This wee video made me think, "Where have all the people gone"? He wasn't an anarchist, but his heart was in the right place and he certainly had a following of ordinary folks.

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WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - PEACE CRUSADE 1916.

WOMEN’S PEACE CRUSADE JUNE 1916.

THE LAUNCH.

Because ant-war feelings were running high in Glasgow it was only natural that Glasgow became the militant centre of the anti-war movement, with John MacLean at its core. A giant of the anti-war movement as he was, of course John MacLean did not stand alone in this battle against the war, it is said that pro-war meetings in the city were more than likely to turn into anti-war demonstrations. However, it was the women activists including Helen Crawfurd, Agnes Dollan and Mary Barbour who in June 1916 organised a peace conference in the city which gave birth to The Women’s Peace Crusade which became a dominant force in the anti-war movement. There is some variation on the actual date but June 10th 1916 is generally accepted as the birth of the Women’s Peace Crusade. A year later, June 1917 saw the Women’s Peace Crusade go national with the launch of the National Women’s Peace Crusade with Helen Crawfurd as its Honorary Secretary The Women’s Peace Crusade split the suffragette movement with the majority, in Glasgow at least, turning their activities to the anti-war movement and the rump taking a pro-war stance. Many of the women activists in the Women’s Peace Crusade were not new to this type of struggle as many of them were active in the suffragettes, the Glasgow rent strikes and also the No Conscription Fellowship. However the Women’s Peace Crusade was a concerted attempt to get working-class women organised against the war and made a major contribution to the anti-war movement.

MASS DEMONSTRATION AND SPREAD.

Sunday June 8th. 1917 saw Glasgow Green become a technicolour kaleidoscope as Women’s Peace Crusade processions from all corners of the City converged on the Green, the usual focal point for demonstrations and struggle in the city, turning the Green into a sea of colourful banners and filling the air with lively music. Estimates put the number of men and women assembled on that occasion as 12,000-14,000. All there in defiance of the avalanche of patriotic jingoism from the media and official circles, and with one desire, to stop the war.

Resolutions were put forward congratulating the Russian revolution of that year and called for immediate peace negotiations. After this event the Women’s Peace Crusade rapidly spread to cities of northern England and the Midlands including Birmingham.

GEORGE SQUARE PROTEST.

At the beginning of December 1917 the Women’s Peace Crusade had asked the Corporation of the City of Glasgow to receive a peace deputation, the request was refused. However, the members of the Women’s Peace Crusade were determined that their voice should be heard. So on December 13th 1917 a number of women assembled in George Square opposite the City Chambers to let the Corporation hear their voices raised in opposition to the war. Among those present were Helen Crawfurd, and Agnes Dollan, their banners were held high and peace leaflets were distributed to those passing by and other on-lookers.

THE BROLLY BATTLE.

During this anti-war display in George Square the Patriot League arrived and started harassing the women in the peace demonstration, attempting to destroy their leaflets and tearing their banners. Fights ensued and the women of the Women’s Peace Crusade defended themselves by brandishing their umbrellas. George Square which had been the site of many a political struggle now saw a mini war.

ENTRY TO THE CITY CHAMBERS.

At this point Helen Crawfurd and Agnes Dollan managed, by fair means or foul, to gain entry to the City Chambers and as the meeting of the City Corporation got under way, trying to ignore the demonstration outside, Helen and Agnes showered the councillors with anti-war leaflets.

RELIGION.

Although the Women’s Peace Crusade can be said to have had religious under currents it was still an attempt to build a broad working class anti-war movement and many, if not most, of its leading activists were socialists. It was essentially a housewives movement with men and women marching in different sections. It gained support from housewives who had lost husbands and sons in the war, or whose husbands and sons were on the battle fields.

More on Glasgow's working class history HERE.

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GLASGOW - CAMCORDER GUERILLAS.

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS : AUTUMN NEWSLETTER
1. GUERILLAS AT DOCUMENT HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL.

           "Disabled people are facing the biggest attack on their human rights since the 1930s"

ANTI CUTS SPECIAL. Capitalism's casino - gambling with human rights
Sunday 23rd October, 12 midday
Film and panel discussion.

           Join us for a screening of our latest film THE BROADEST SHOULDERS find out about Guerillas current film project, highlighting the devastating impact of cuts and privatisation on disabled people talk to people directly affected by the cuts take part in the discussion and discover how you can join us in campaigning against cuts to benefits and services

Feedback from disabled activists after our fringe screening/meeting at the STUC rally against the cuts on 1st October
"inspiring"
"helped put the fire back in our bellies"
"you don't know how much the support from Camcorder Guerillas means to us"

Full Document Programme.

2. NEW GUERILLA WEBSITE GOES LIVE.            Last year our website fell victim to cyberhacking, but we are now back with a bigger and better website. You can watch over 20 of our films online and keep up to date with events, screening and guerilla happenings at www.camcorderguerillas.net You can also follow us on TWITTER @CamGuerillas

3. TRAINING COURSE :

             GUERILLAS OFFER FILM-MAKING COURSE FOR ACTIVISTS.
           We have developed a new training course that enables people to make their own short campaign films, edit and distribute them via social media. All this done in one day, with no specialist equipment or prior knowledge needed. Fees are negotiable, depending on size of
organisation; and training can be adapted to your own needs. Get in touch via info@camcorderguerillas.net to find out more.

4. SPECIAL EVENT TOMORROW.
Internationalism From Below - from John Maclean to Tahrir Square?

7pm-10:00pm, Wednesday 12th October 2011
Kinning Park Complex, 43 Cornwall Street, Glasgow, G41 1BA
FREE Film and discussion event, including screening of Visit Dungavel,
Monster of the Glen.
Full programme.

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS - GET IN TOUCH

EMAIL info@camcorderguerillas.net
TEL 0141 332 9775
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER@CamGuerillas

WATCH OUR FILMS ONLINE
www.camcorderguerillas.net

CAMCORDER GUERILLAS
CCA, Centre for Contemporary Arts,
350 Sauchiehall Street. Glasgow, G2 3JD

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MAY DAY -- WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

Glasgow's Glorious May Day celebrations, this Sunday.

Now more than ever we have to show solidarity, we have to come together to defend our standard of living. May Day this year is an ideal opportunity to show your solidarity with  all the ordinary people of this country and across the world, to lay down a marker, as the pampered parasite class make a savage grasp to capitalise everything in sight to save their spiv friends, the bond merchants, from carrying their own gambling debts. We are expected to pay the gamblers for their greed and stand by while they privatise everything they can lay their sweaty palms on that can make them money. It is their world -- or it is our world, you can decide.

        MAY DAY, WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

       May Day, Labour Day, Workers Day, our day, a day when we the ordinary people of the world can celebrate the heroes from our ranks. Paying homage to the men and women who dedicated their lives to the cause of working class emancipation. People who sought nothing for themselves, many dying for their beliefs, individuals that sometimes stood like a colossus astride the political scene, others that worked tirelessly in the shadows, all for the greater good of all peoples, not more for themselves. Their statues, their plaques are no where to be seen, the establishment has them airbrushed out of history. Instead, the powers that be litter our public squares and parks with grandiose statues of arrogant warmongers, empire builders, kings of industry, rich merchants, all who made a fortune on the back of slave and/or cheap labour or the bloodshed of ordinary people. The establishment wants us to forget our heroes, no statues, no plaques, we mustn’t be allowed to think that fighting for the betterment of ordinary people is a worth while cause, much better to try to convince us that it is more honourable to be a self-centred arrogant pursuer of power and wealth at the expense of others. We mustn’t let this happen, we have to keep alive the names and deeds of that legion of men and women who dedicated their lives to our future well being and that of our kids.

The Haymarket Martyrs

        MAY 1st. Must always be a festive day, a day of celebration and pride, a day when we can all come together and wave our banners, party, and remember those names and deeds. A day to revive that spirit of co-operation in struggle and hopefully push our cause to a higher plain. Always on May 1st. not some conveniently arranged employer/union date, the nearest Monday, so as not to upset their production. It is our day, always claim it as a day of family fun, festivities and remembrance, a day of hope for the future of all the ordinary peoples of the world. Glasgow, like most cities, is fortunate in having its own legion of working class fighters, a legion that stretches back through the industrial age and beyond. To pick a few at random, names like George Barrett, Tom Anderson, John MacLean, Helen Crawfurd, Guy Aldred, Ethel MacDonald, Jenny Patrick, William McDougal --- and the names go on and on and on, events such as, The Cotton Spinners strike, the rent strikes, the first world war peace movement, the 1919, 40 hour week strike, etc, etc, etc. All names and events to be justly proud of but difficult to find recorded, all the more need to celebrate MAY DAY and keep alive that part of our history, our culture.

          Take to the streets this MAY DAY, bring the family, bring colour, bring music, bring what you expect to find, bring the spirit of the working class, have fun, remember why we are there, be proud and strengthen your resolve to do more to push the cause of co-operation in struggle with all our people. Keep alive the names and deeds of our past, not those of a corrupt, brutal, exploitative system. Keep alive the dream of a society of free association, voluntary co-operation, and mutual aid, a system of seeing to needs and not to the greed of the few bloated pampered parasites.

 

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SURRENDER YOUR RIGHTS AT YOUR PERIL.

      As more and more people take to the streets in lawful and peaceful protest at the savage cuts to their standard of living, the authorities try to quell the unrest with intimidation. Their tactics include, provocative police actions, arrests on the street at peaceful protests, house visits by plain clothes police after the protests and criminalising our youth. It is at times like this that we can take inspiration from  those who took up the struggle before us, today we would do well to remember the words of   John MacLean , one of Glasgow's many great working class fighters, in court at the start of the first world war.

       "No human being on the face of this earth, no government is going to take away my right to speak, my right to protest against wrong, my right to do everything that is for the benefit of mankind. I am not here, then, as the accused; I am here as the accuser of Capitalism dripping with blood from head to foot."

The people are the country or it is fascism.

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