AhlulBayt News Agency: Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday, protesting government spending cuts and welfare reforms, voicing outrage over rising military budgets amid worsening social inequality.
The demonstration, organized by the People’s Assembly, started at Portland Place and moved toward Whitehall, with protesters chanting and holding placards reading "Tax the Rich," "Nurses Not Nukes," and "Welfare Not Warfare."
Trade unionists, activists, and campaigners from across the UK joined the protest under the slogan "No to Austerity 2.0," urging the Labour government to abandon austerity policies and prioritize investment in public services over military spending.
Campaigners condemned Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s economic agenda, accusing his cabinet of using fiscal rules as an excuse for cuts that deepen poverty, weaken social protections, and exacerbate inequality.
"Scrapping winter fuel payments, maintaining the Tory two-child benefit cap, cutting disability support, and slashing foreign aid—while increasing defense budgets—are not ‘tough choices,’ they are political choices," a spokesperson for the People’s Assembly stated.
"The real alternative is taxing the wealthy to properly fund the NHS, education, and local communities," the spokesperson added.
The protest reflects growing concerns about the government's increasing militarization, as it pledges to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP.
The latest strategic defense review outlines billions in investments for advanced warplanes, missile systems, and a larger nuclear submarine fleet.
Under the new defense strategy, the UK plans to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines by the late 2030s—nearly doubling its fleet—even though these submarines will only carry conventional weapons.
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