Broad singing, action to Assembly, Saturday morning SLOWLY the first appeared Sandfields' housing estate at the other end of the town. punks from Swansea; rude boys and skinheads headbangers and punks from the valleys all assembled Aberfan shopping centre.
Veteran hunger from the '30s, Will Paynter saw us off to chants of: '2 4 6 8 we don't want a Tory state' and *Maggie, Maggie, out, out!' There were jangling cans as we collected money from every passer-by. Everyone talked to supported the march.
A typical comment from a steelworker was:
*If we had 300 of those kids from Bristol down on the picket line we'd have won our strike in no time. Good luck, boys, and don't take No for an answer.' Lunch at Bryn and our first march meeting VOLUNTEERS from each town were elected to the march council Challenge) and men Maesteg where the local miners' off lodge were putting us up for the night.
After a quick rest marchers fanned out through the town to collect money and advertise our gig at Maesteg town hall that evening.
Knots of local youth, many (SO of them VOUS UCS around. They were suspicious at first because of the array of hair colours and fashions but soon got involved discussions.
*Is this a punk only march then? We're not punks round here you know?' *No, we're fighting for jobs. My brother's been out of work for six months now."
Socialist Challenge 10 April 1980 Page 8 OVER 100 young people set out on the South Wales Youth March Against Unemployment this Easter Saturday. They marched from Port Talbot, chanting, collecting explaining why we're fighting for united union defend jobs. describes the events of the first few days.
Maesteg marchers Talbot's the clash Then Cardiff; the next day.
at the young miners marcher socialists into action.
Maggie, out, dictably enough it was started it.
for an excuse to harass us. the road to stood heated to money, REDMOND O'NEILL Saturday evening gig at SLOWLY we get to know each other. The gig's a big hit, despite she OTTASHTOTS Bone beating. trainee miners and unemployed youth said they'd march with us Back at the hall a group of Were standing around firing questions at us about the march. They were all sceptical whether we can push the unions They had a whip round and gave us some money.
As the gig wound up we had our first trouble of the day. Pre- previous the local youth but the police who defence They'd been hanging sed. around the gig all night looking As a bunch of marchers, Lunch at Bryn and our first march meeting merry after the gig, made their way back around midnight one was picked up for swearing at her mate. When he heard her being kicked about in the police van he tried to do something about it and they grabbed him too. The police were keen to provoke the marchers into a punch-up but atter a tew tense moments we moved off back to the hall.
Later at the police station we found they'd thrown the book at Tina and Jeffrey — four charges including assault on the police. In Tina's case connecting her belly with a policeman's boot'. When we arrived to bail her out was vomiting after the Our slogan is 'No return to and it's clear that the South Wales police intend play the role of trying to break up marches like ours in the same way they did with the hunger marches in the '30s.
Where Tina and Jeffrey come from in Swansea there's nothing for youth to do except a youth club on one night a week and no jobs. So they've got a string of convictions. They might go down if an effective isn't organiCanDalsu That night we got to sleep around 3am. No one had yet cottoned on to just how many hills we'd be climbing on Sunday.
Sunday around 8am AFTER breakfast, and a failed argument attempting to persuade some Cardiff skins to stay with the march, road to Betws for lunch. to And then on the Llangeiner where the local mining community had given us their brand new hall for the night.
On Sunday we confident about slogans and asking for tions. For most people it was their first march and it takes time to get your courage up It is a hard march. A lot of people hadn't twigged that the valleys precisely because they've got hills all around them.
Rhondda marching with black youth from before the were human we were off on the welcome.
Sunday were more Llangeiner the chanting, dona- AT mods or punks.
are valleys youth WCIC The hesitation, march down earlier.
Rhondda. the docks in Cardiff, while march their only contact had been the odd punch up after a rugby match. At first youth they seemed amazed to find they beings, but the barriers began to break down and a real march spirit began to AGAIN emerge as they panted up the hills We marched around the estate in Betws knocking on all the doors and getting a warm afternoon in Llangeiner played football with the local youth who were hanging around the hall hoping to get a glimpse of a few Then there was a Revolution meeting with 50 or 60 marchers and the anti-racist film 'Divide and Rule Never'. Will Paynter (centre), the That evening we listened to rally to launch the march Will Paynter speaking about the '30s, received a big clap when explained that 'unemployment and crises won't disappear we do away with the system that creates them' The local pub was packed out with marchers and miners for the 'quiz'. The quizmaster had to keep correcting himself, 'Boys girls'. then, 'and ere were i wonch u our ball of the pub except those with the After the quiz the marchers were asked to sing a tew songs. sc we sang about the right to work and another song about Ireland and the IRA. Everyone joined in.
That night the talking died SOUTH AGAINS . On Monday we'll be going up the Ogmore valley and over the mountain into the Everyone who was still there was determined to stay with the march all the way to Cardiff. The feeling was that we were all in 11 together and we were going all There'l'be no more dropping or. despite blisters. between here and Cardiff.
Neil Rogers is 15 and a school student from South Wales • coming on ae mares oecause mere s so muca unemployment in South Wales. It's really difficult to get a job when you leave school. I don't believe in what this government is doing. Were no getting any better off and things will get worse wen leave schoor l want an apprenacesnip but I haven't got much chance. I'll probably end up on the dole. I want to get rid of the Tories for 2O00 school student around.
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through the Ogmore and Rhondda valleys, lobby the Wales TUC in Cardiff. Five days on the