The right to be accompanied is still under attack and yet again it is Scottish Unemployed Workers Network(SUWN) activist Tony Cox who is the scapegoat in this charade.
On Thursday 9th June at 10am, please come to Dundee Sheriff Court and show your support for Tony Cox – arrested for trying to accompany a woman to her Work Capability Assessment and now on trial for ‘Threatening Behaviour’ for insisting on her right to have him accompany her.
When Tony was up in court before in October 2015 ,SUWN and ECAP called for a Britain wide day of action which involved groups from London, Wales, Dorset and Liverpool and others. Again we call for another day of action across the entirety of Britain. We are inviting groups to protest on the 9th of June at their local job centres for the right to be accompanied and in solidarity with Tony.
Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty (ECAP) will hold a protest on Monday 6th June at 2pm outside Highriggs jobcentre, a notorious jobcentre famous for abusing claimants and accompaniers.
Last time, the DWP brought Tony to court, they had to drop the charges as their evidence fell apart. Their evidence amounted to the pointing of a finger. Now they’re trying again.
It’s not just Tony Cox though. In Edinburgh too , ECAP has faced its own problems when back in February one of our members tried to accompany a claimant to a JSA appointment. The accompanier was asked to produce ID, something which is not part of DWP guidelines as FOI requests(and one apology for a High Heid Yin in the DWP) show and assaulted by a G4S guard.
ECAP activist Esther McDonald said “From our conversations with claimants it appears increasingly common that even friends or families accompanying someone to a jobcentre will be refused or told to leave by threats in complete contradiction to DWP guidelines. This is a deliberate attempt to isolate claimants and leave them to the mercy of Jobcentre intimidation and bullying. Our message couldn’t be clearer. All claimants have the right to be accompanied and where the Jobcentre denies this, we will not step down”.
Our advocacy will not stop. Because Advocacy is not a crime.
We’ve said before if you exploit us we will shut you down and likewise if you isolate us we will bring crowds to your door. We will not be bullied, intimidated or silenced. We will resist!
Join us if you can on the 6th and on the 9th.
Information on the Right to be accompanied at https://edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk/node/32
the ECAP event on Mon 6th June – https://www.facebook.com/events/816338555169647/
9th June Dundee Sheriff Court- https://www.facebook.com/events/1018949701522891/
Britain wide day of action Thursday 9th June – https://www.facebook.com/events/121286551624443/
