{"id":597,"date":"2011-12-13T22:42:57","date_gmt":"2011-12-13T22:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk\/?p=597"},"modified":"2017-11-08T22:47:03","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T22:47:03","slug":"demonstrate-against-scrooge-anti-atos-friday-16th-december","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk\/?p=597","title":{"rendered":"DEMONSTRATE AGAINST SCROOGE ANTI-ATOS FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER"},"content":{"rendered":"

RESIST THE ATTACKS ON THE SICK AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES<\/span><\/p>\n

SAY NO TO THE UNFAIR TESTS CUTTING SICKNESS & DISABILITY BENEFITS<\/span><\/p>\n

GATHER AT THE ATOS BENEFITS TESTING CENTRE, 44 YORK PLACE, EDINBURGH<\/span><\/p>\n

THIS COMING FRIDAY 16 DECEMBER 10AM – 12 NOON<\/span><\/p>\n

PART OF THE UK WIDE MONTH OF ACTION AGAINST ATOS<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThousands of seriously ill cancer patients will be forced to take medical tests and face “back to work” interviews, despite assurances from ministers that they would not make it harder for the sick to get welfare, charities have warned. Buried in a report to ministers by Prof Malcolm Harrington, the government adviser on testing welfare recipients, are proposals to force cancer patients who are undergoing intravenous chemotherapy to prove they are too ill to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(Guardian 6.12.11\u00a0http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/society\/2011\/dec\/06\/cancer-patients-welfare-wo…<\/a>\u00a0)<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what awaits us unless we get organised to resist. Already tens of thousands of ill people are being subjected to the Work Capability Assessments, disqualified from sickness benefits and thrown onto Jobseeker’s Allowance, where they face compulsory work-for-your-benefits forced labour schemes.<\/span><\/p>\n

ATOS are the multinational company with a \u00a3500 million contract from the government to carry out the tests which are central to deciding whether or not people get sickness benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is all part of the wider attack on the majority of us, to try and make us pay for the greed of the rich and the crisis in their chaotic capitalist system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Join us in this protest and in leafleting and showing solidarity with claimants going into ATOS. If possible, bring placards, banners, whistles, drums, whatever you would hope to find.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is being called in for such a test \u2013 don’t go alone! Take a friend or adviser with you. Read detailed info on how to deal with the tests here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

We also encourage people to contact Black Triangle <\/a>disability rights group.<\/span><\/p>\n

ECAP ADVICE SESSIONS \u2013 WINTER BREAK<\/span><\/p>\n

Our weekly <\/span>Tuesday<\/span> afternoon advice and solidarity sessions at ACE will have a two week break over the holidays. The last session this year will be 12-3pm on Tues 20 December, and the first session in the New Year will be on Tuesday 10 January, as always 12-3pm. In the meantime our website at has a lot of info on different benefits and debt problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

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