Frances O’Grady talks to Bob Crow’s partner Nicky Hoarau
May Day is a big day for the left around the world and in London in particular for some of London’s ethnic communities – most of whom are British and were born in London, but still very much relate to the countries where their parents or grandparents were born, and where May Day is celebrated more widely than the UK.
Turkish worker’s newspaper journalist Suliman Yete was killed in a Turkish prison in 1999 – MKLP
The traditional British left does take part, but for most people in the UK, May 1 is a normal working day. While I was working as a full-time teacher, it was only when May 1 fell at a weekend that I was normally able to go to the march, but now as a photographer I go every year and it is very much a working day for me.
Turkish People’s Front – Halk Cephesi
May Day, 1 May is a public holiday in many countries around the world, but in the UK we instead have (since a Labour Government couldn’t quite bring itself to back anything as socialist as May Day in 1978) a bank holiday on the first Monday in May. Because May 1 is usually a working day, support for May Day celebrations such as the annual London march from UK trade unionists has generally been limited, although of course the march gets official support – and some trade union leaders take part.
Among the regular marchers have been Bob Crow of the RMT and veteran of the left Tony Benn. This year’s march was dedicated to both of them, with their faces and the message from a telegram sent by union activist Joe Hill shortly before his execution in 1915, “Don’t Mourn, Organaise” took pride of place on the official banners and placards as the theme for this year’s march along with its three ‘constant calls’ – trade union rights, human rights, international solidarity.
This is a London march, and it reflects the nature of London now, as the statement from the organising committee shows:
The London May Day has been a unique bringing together of trade unionists, workers from the many international communities in London, pensioners, anti-globalisation organisations, students, political bodies and many others in a show of working class unity (see our supporters list). The whole theme of May Day is unity and solidarity – across the city, across the country, across the world. Three constant calls have been made – trade union rights, human rights, international solidarity. We have been proud that a vital and major part of the March are workers from the different international communities in London – a practical expression of working class solidarity.
In the list of supporters referred to among others it lists “organisations representing Turkish, Kurdish, Chilean, Colombian, Peruvian, Portuguese, West Indian, Sri Lankan, Cypriot, Tamil, Iraqi, Iranian, Irish, Nigerian migrant workers & communities plus many other trade union & community organisations” and it is certainly a lively and at times rather confusing event, particularly for a photographer weaving his way though the crowded Clerkenwell Green where the marchers meet up and mingle. Sorting out quite who is from which group is a problem both while taking pictures and when captioning, and I as usual have to apologise in advance for any I’ve got wrong.
Matt Wrack, Terry Hutt and Frances O’Grady
The main press interest was in the family of Bob Crow who were among those at the head of the march, along with TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady. I was pleased to get a few pictures of her talking with someone I’ve photographed at many protests and still going strong as a pensioner, Terry Hutt, though photographers often call him Terry ‘Hat’ for his headgear over the years, which is now a badge covered cap threatening to rival the one that Brian Haw wore in Parliament Square for his epic almost ten-year protest
Brian Haw in Parliament Square in 2006
There is a lot to photograph on May Day, and I try hard to show as many of the banners and placards as possible as well as the people. It’s an event where I take a great many pictures and I think something important to record, so there are well over a hundred images on line from Clerkenwell Green and the march at May Day March for Bob Crow & Tony Benn.
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
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