Coalition of Resistance week of protest from 14 February

Here are extracts from Coalition of Resistance Conference Declaration

The phoney war is over. The Coalition of Resistance’s aim is to force the ConDem government to abandon its cuts programme. The recent anti-cuts demonstrations and the Milbank occupation by students mark a turning point in people’s willingness to go beyond token protests.

As the reality of the cuts manifests itself, local campaigns are now also organising against the government’s programme of demolishing welfare and state provision. The Coalition of Resistance (CoR) has called on all anti-cuts groups, trade unionists, students and campaigning organisations to participate in a week of protest from Monday 14 February involving local events all over the country and a demonstration in London.

CoR will encourage all anti-cuts organisations to work together with the aim of establishing a single, broad, and united anti-cuts organisation in each area. Where no local campaign exists, we will encourage CoR supporters to initiate one; where such a campaign does exist we will encourage it to affiliate to CoR.

In schools, colleges and universities, CoR will encourage the formation of united anti-cuts and anti-fees groups, and will help in the calling of a ‘No cuts, No Fees’ conference in 2011 to establish a united national campaign. We celebrate and support the flourishing student protests, demonstrations, strikes and occupations to fight fees, defend EMA and for free education for all. We agree to call upon the trade union and labour movement, on student days of actions, to provide maximum support including lunch time protests and sending delegations to demonstrations.

CoR is committed to opposing all cuts and privatisation; exposing their effects on the most poor and vulnerable, opposing the government’s plan to dismantle the welfare state; and rejecting all proposals to “solve” the crisis through racism and other forms of scape-goating. We call on all Local Authorities and councillors to oppose cuts in their authorities and to support those councillors who resist cuts. Where councillors refuse to vote for cuts we will do all we can to mobilise support for them.