Labour democracy protesters say ‘Reject Evans’

T-shirt protest reminiscent of demonstration against then-GS Iain McNicol

Democracy protesters from around the country at Labour’s conference, which opened today, are calling on member and union delegates. A banner has been put up with their message, but they’ve also brought it in person in true ‘collective action’ style:

The protest is reminiscent of the 2017 conference protest against then-general secretary Iain McNicol, after he oversaw yet another purge of left members by the Labour right:

McNicol had been trying to prevent Jeremy Corbyn winning his second leadership election – which failed as Corbyn won in an even bigger landslide than the first. This time, the right are trying to protect acting general secretary David Evans from a conference vote putting him out of a job in response to his war on members and free speech.

Evans’s future is hanging by a thread – and with their suspensions of left delegates looking inadequate to save him, the Labour right is now trying to avoid a proper vote at all so that he can be waved through on the conference chair’s decision of what a show of hands looks like.

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