Disabled protesters block Oxford Circus in protest against cuts

A group of over 200 people, including about 20 wheelchair users from Disabled People Against the Cuts blocked Oxford Circus from noon.

The group chained themselves together in the middle of Regent Street using handcuffs and bicycle locks. The demonstration to STOP the Welfare Reform Bill ended at 2pm.

The protesters say that the Welfare reform bill is 'unfair, unnecessary and unpopular' and are calling for it to be scrapped. Recent reports have shown that as a result of the bill 500,000 families stand to lose their homes while others will become ‘imprisoned in them’. Nearly half a million people would lose their Disability Living Allowance, including disabled children. People with terminal illnesses would be forced into work, and 3.2 million will be put through demanding tests that have already pushed some to take their own lives. The government's own research admits that this flagship reform will push 100,000 children into poverty.

The government has defended the bill on the grounds that it needs to cut the deficit. However, the protesters point out that much greater amounts of money are lost through tax dodging by the super-rich each year.