Social movements, women’s rights groups, trade unions, youth groups, faith-based organisations, and other civil society groups are holding a moment of mayhem between 12-1pm on January 18th, 2020, to protest against high levels of inequality. The protest is supported by the Jubilee Debt Campaign, The Equality Trust, Women’s March London, Positive Money UK, Tax Justice UK, Race on the Agenda, Co-operatives UK, Just Fair UK, Church Action for Tax Justice, New Economics Foundation, Tax Justice UK, Race on the Agenda – ROTA, Global Justice Now and more. The activity is part of the Global Protest to #FightInequality, led by the global Fight Inequality Alliance. The activists are starting the decade by calling for an end to the ‘age of greed’ and showing that the solutions to inequality will come from the people on the frontlines of the problem, not the elite 0.1% meeting at Davos. This rally is the inaugural event of a week of action across the UK.
Protests against rising inequality are expected to take place in over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Zambia, Kenya, India, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, South Africa, Mexico and Uganda. The January protest will see diverse movements joining together against the root causes of inequality and call for systemic change, timed as the super rich gather in Davos for the World Economic Forum.
Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust and UK FIA member said:
“We see the evidence of high levels of inequality all around us in the UK, as record numbers of people are forced to turn to food banks, schools are begging parents to provide equipment and the crisis of homelessness is apparent on our streets. We cannot continue to watch as dangerous levels of inequality destroy the very fabric of our society. The cavernous gap between rich and poor is a scandal for one of the richest countries in the world, which has become a nation of Ferraris and food banks.”
The UK event will feature Sajeela Kershi as MC, Dr Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director, The Equality Trust, Simon Brasch from Just Treatment, Rachel White, from London Renters Union, Dereje Alemayehu from the Tax Justice Network, APLEcollective and performances from Isatta Sheriff and Kamitan Arts and Poetry for Grenfell.
Jenny Ricks, global convenor for Fight Inequality Alliance said:
“People are joining together to tackle the problem by its roots, and that is inequality. This January, we will start the decade by calling out the elites in Davos who exploit us, and the governments who are failing us. In a just and fair economic system, billionaires would not exist. Now must be the decade of the 99%.”
The global protest will happen as people around the world, particularly in Chile, Ecuador, Lebanon, France, Haiti, among many others are taking to the streets against inequality. Coinciding with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the global protest will be a direct challenge to the elite’s arrogance and greed.
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Media contacts:
London: Jo Wittams, The Equality Trust, jo.wittams@equalitytrust.org.uk
International: Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Communications Officer, Fight Inequality Alliance
angelica.pago@fightinequality.org | +63 949 889 1332 (based in Manila, Philippines)
Notes to editors
The protest will be a moment of mayhem at Richmond Terrace, Westminster, London, between 12-1pm, united a range of grass roots speakers and campaigners.
The Fight Inequality Alliance is a group of leading international and national non-profit organisations, human rights campaigners, women’s rights groups, environmental groups, faith-based organisations, trade unions, social movements and other civil society organisations that have come together to fight the growing crisis of inequality.