Activists and allies are set to rally at Guildhall Square on Saturday (May 10) to protest against the government’s proposed review of how disabled people access work exemption benefits, which analysis says could negatively affect up to 1.2 million people.
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Crips Against Cuts, a grassroots, disabled-led pressure group, says the Southampton protest is part of a national network of actions taking place across the country, including others in Hampshire.
It adds protests have already taken place in Winchester and Portsmouth, with another planned for Basingstoke.
Organisers are encouraging people to come with stories about how seeking disability support from the government has affected them, and the group will chalk outlines of footprints on the pavement to represent the people who are either too ill to join the protest or have passed away over the years “through facing a hostile benefits system”.
A Hampshire Crips Against Cuts spokesperson said: “These proposals will plunge people into further poverty, exacerbate a growing mental health crisis, and worsen inequality, inaccessibility and a lack of support for disabled people in this country.”
The protest is from 1pm.