Organised by Health Campaigns Together (which KONP helped to found) and the People’s Alliance, the rally and march on 4 March captured the spirit of a nation fed up with this government’s callous indifference to what was happening to the NHS – our NHS.
Coverage was good for an NHS rally, taking into account how little attention the mainstream press usually give these.
Well over 200,000 people turned up, from all over the country. Local outlets followed up in some cases with further reports after the event. Speakers included KONP’s Secretary, Dr John Lister; Dr Tony O’sullivan (KONP Co-Chair; you can see a video of Tony’s speech below); Keith Venables (KONP Co-chair and acting chair of Health Campaigns Together); Green Party Health spokesman and brother of US Democrat Bernie Sanders, Larrie Sanders; Gill George, from Shropshire Defend Our NHS; Dr Aislinn macklin-Doherty, from the Junior Doctors’ Alliance; and Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, MP. Tony, Keith and John implored people not to let this occasion stand alone – and be ignored – but to go back to their home areas and campaign to save the NHS.
The press team for the day were Ramona McCartney (People’s Assembly), Vicky Penner (Save Lewisham Campaign) and Alan Taman (in his capacity as co-organiser/secretary for Health Campaigns Together; you can read Alan’s report of the march, compiled for Doctors for the NHS, here). They were supported by a wider, voluntary group of people handling press releases and social media, and one of the early encouraging signs from the event is that Health Campaigns Together has convened this group to carry on developing communications so that all health campaign groups, large and small, and allied organisations will benefit from continued activity.
Press coverage on and around the day – national:
TV:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39168200
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39167350
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39166247
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-03-04/thousands-take-to-the-streets-of-london-to-protest-nhs-cuts/
http://www.itv.com/news/london/2017-03-04/its-our-nhs-thousands-of-protesters-take-to-londons-streets/
https://www.channel4.com/news/protesters-march-on-london-to-support-the-nhs
http://news.sky.com/gallery/250000-march-in-london-to-support-nhs-10790679
http://news.sky.com/video/thousands-march-against-planned-nhs-cuts-10790550
http://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/video-265755.html (German TV)
PRESS:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4281316/Thousands-join-march-against-NHS-cuts.html
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/775097/NHS-MARCH-London-Jeremy-Corbyn-Rally
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/the-blood-washes-hands-tens-9964594
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/real-nhs-spending-set-fall-9969737
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/its-cry-help-say-supporters-9966065
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nhs-march-live-updates-thousands-9962365
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/04/nhs-funding-cuts-protest-march-london-jeremy-corbyn
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/04/jeremy-corbyn-nhs-crisis-made-downing-street/
http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/04/thousands-take-to-streets-of-london-for-one-of-the-biggest-nhs-rallies-in-history-6487869/
Some local outlets also covered the march for ‘their’ groups. For example:
For Shropshire:
http://www.ludlowadvertiser.co.uk/news/15144880.Ludlow_campaigner_speaks_at_London_NHS_rally/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-39231208
And for South Warwickshire:
There were many videos taken of the day, including the following:
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