Disabled People Campaigning And Fighting For Disability Rights.

In 2016 the 'UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' undertook an unprecedented investigation into the UK Government and issued a preliminary report stating that there was evidence of ‘grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s human rights’. These images are drawn from the many demonstrations and campaigns undertaken by disabled people in the fight to stop the unprecedented removal of rights long fought for. More information can be found below these images.

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"I rebel — therefore we exist." - Albert Camus

During its five years in office the Liberal Democrat/Conservative Coalition lied to the people, aided by a right wing media, about disabled individuals such as myself. The Coalition placed scapegoating at the heart of its social and economic policy. It is what fueled it, all part of its much trumpeted long term economic plan. And, despite their desperate attempts to spin it to us otherwise, the 'Coalition Agreement', under which the Liberal Democrats and Conservative Party imposed their austerity upon us, had no mandate from the electorate.

You may be OK with being lied to but I am not happy about being lied about; in fact, I am not sure I can survive it. I very nearly lost someone very close to me, who lives with hidden disabilities and for whom I am primary carer, to Coalition policy in 2013. People are being driven to take their own lives due to the impact of austerity measures that serve only to bail out those who caused the financial problems. You will find a list of those who have paid the ultimate price due to this pernicious Coalition Governments Austerity policy here ...do you think it a price worth paying?

Even though we are bearing the brunt of the cuts we have been patient, attempted to debate reasonably with an unreasonable Government, tried the legal process of the courts, forced debate in the House of Commons, Petitioned and yet all the lamentable Minister Iain Duncan Smith did was either ignore us, retrospectively changes laws when he lost, or resorted to lying about us. Successive DWP Ministers, including Esther McVey and Amber Rudd, have continued on the same pernicious path.

In 2016 the 'UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' undertook an unprecedented investigation into the UK Government and issued a preliminary report stating that there was evidence of ‘grave and systematic violations of disabled people’s human rights’. In 2017 the same UN committee published its conclusions and stated that the UK Government had created a 'human catastrophe' for disabled people. The UK Government has ignored the UN and refused to act upon its recommendations. You can read more about this UN report at this link.

This is why, after patiently going through the aforementioned processes, we are finding ourselves forced to undertake more direct action. The photographs above are a record of that action. I am proud to be a member of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and I take part in these actions under that banner.

I have been critical of many a Government before but the Coalition was the first Government that I have actually been scared of....

...we have seen such attempts to label Disabled people as burdens upon society before...

‘Has it really come to this, in the United Kingdom of all places?’

July 2024 Several books, featuring Christopher John Ball's photographs, are now available through Amazon or click on an image below to purchase via secure payments on lulu.com