{"id":2429,"date":"2019-02-02T08:13:39","date_gmt":"2019-02-02T08:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk\/?p=2429"},"modified":"2019-02-02T08:13:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-02T08:13:39","slug":"new-year-more-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk\/?p=2429","title":{"rendered":"New Year – More Resistance!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty organises to encourage resistance to Universal Credit<\/a>, austerity and the whole profit-dominated exploiting system.<\/p>\n

The recent Action Against Austerity<\/a>\u00a0gathering in Glasgow agreed on plans to broaden the resistance to Universal Credit, and we hope to announce initiatives soon.<\/p>\n

Effective resistance means making oppressive policies unworkable. We need to build a movement. A movement – strong enough to stop evictions due to rent arrears caused by Universal Credit \u2013 strong enough to stop sanctions caused by Universal Credit \u2013 strong enough to stop sick and disabled people being forced to job-seek under Universal Credit. The anti-bedroom tax movement showed that the threat of physical resistance to evictions can win concessions \u2013 the Scottish government put in money to cover the bedroom tax.<\/p>\n

Austerity is attacking on many fronts but there is also a fight-back, including here in Edinburgh. Community activists from Pilton, Muirhouse, Drylaw and the north of the city are opposing cuts to vital local services.<\/a>\u00a0Also in Muirhouse local tenants are organising in Living Rent<\/a> about to insist on an end to dampness and to demand decent housing in the Council high-rises.<\/a><\/p>\n

In this time of Brexit and xenophobia it is vital that working class people do not fall for the divide and rule lies of racists. The Scotland-wide Action Against Austerity network pledges \u201cfull solidarity with the struggles of migrant workers and claimants, and of asylum seekers and refugees\u201d and advocates \u201cinternational solidarity across and against state borders. The working class has no country.\u201d ECAP works together with groups like Oficina Precaria<\/a>\u00a0 who advocate for the rights of migrants and like ECAP are based in The Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ECAP drop-in<\/a>\u00a0runs every Tuesday 12 – 3 pm to organise support for people facing problems with benefits, housing, debt etc. We practise mutual aid and solidarity and urge all claimants and low paid to support each other, for example by accompanying each other to benefits appointments<\/a>. Our aim is for daily resistance to grow, become more collective and act as a counter-power \u2013 we have to make the Jobcentre more scared of us than we are of them!<\/p>\n

ECAP works with the other groups based in The Autonomous Centre<\/a>\u00a0because the fight against poverty and austerity<\/a>\u00a0is part of the struggle to overthrow all oppression \u2013 capitalism, racism and patriarchy all have to go! Claim What’s Ours \u2013 The World!<\/p>\n

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