Anti-austerity protest set to be held in Lincoln

A demonstration against the government’s perceived austerity agenda and lack of electoral reform will take place in Lincoln this weekend.

At least 200 people are planning on demonstrating in the city centre on Saturday, May 16, calling for a fair electoral system, an end to austerity, and “a democracy that serves its people.”

The left-wing activists will congregate near the War Memorial on High Street at 1pm, before protesting for much of the afternoon.

The event has primarily been organised by Green Party activist Natalie Willetts, and is the first to come under the banner of ProtestLincs.

She said: “There are nights when I lie in bed, because I’m lucky enough to have one, tossing and turning because the worry of when my Income Support will next be cut consumes me.

“I am one of the lucky ones. I am not in a coma deemed “fit for work” or been found dead in my home, a stack of CV’s by my side, with an empty stomach and even emptier insulin supply because I was sanctioned for “not doing enough to find work”.

“In 2013, I was hospitalised for sleeping 18 hours a day. I was found to be severely anaemic, suffering from glandular fever and had a small lung clot. I was lucky enough to get treated, but some of us aren’t so lucky.

“The people are scared and we don’t want to be ignored any longer. This is why I created ProtestLincs, to gather the people who are worried or scared and let them know that they do matter and that they are not alone.”

She also confirmed via social media that Lincolnshire Police are aware of the demonstration.

Also protesting is fellow Green Party member Luke Hewerdine.

He added: “As a Green Party member, I was incredibly pleased to see that nationwide we received over one million votes, but also disappointed by the fact that it only earned us one seat.

“Whilst I may not agree with their policies, I acknowledge that UKIP voters are even more under-represented with only one seat for over three million votes.

“Furthermore, as a result of our flawed electoral system, a Conservative majority government can run an austerity agenda with little challenge. We need change so there is no point sitting down and doing nothing about it.”