The Save Brick Lane Protest

(Photo by Sarah Ainslie)

Contributing Photographers Sarah Ainslie and David Hoffman were there to document the triumphant protest yesterday organised by Nijjor Manush, East End Preservation Society, Bengali East End Heritage Society, East End Trades Guild and London Renters’ Union to challenge the Truman Brewery’s plan for a shopping mall with four floors of corporate offices on top as the overture to the redevelopment of the entire brewery site.

The local community gathered in Altab Ali Park, before marching up Brick Lane to the Brewery gates where speeches were given by residents, councillors, curry house owners and Dan Cruickshank on behalf of Spitalfields Trust. I publish a transcript of Tasnima Uddin’s rousing speech on behalf of Nijjor Manush.

“Today we show the Truman Brewery and Tower Hamlets Council that we will not stop until this development is rejected.

The choice before us could not be starker, 98.9% of the public consultation oppose the development plan that the council is seeking to push through.

Truman Brewery shame on you!

Today we stand for the 7000 and more people who condemn the Truman Brewery proposal.

We stand for the local residents struggling against chronic indifference from Tower Hamlets Council and creeping displacement by the City of London.

We stand for the people of Tower Hamlets who have made it a hot bed of activism, radical heritage and resistance for generations.

We stand in the proudest traditions of the East End and we stand against all those who seek to condemn those traditions to distant history.

The challenge before is a class issue and therefore necessarily a race issue as well. Tower Hamlets has one of the longest housing waiting lists in the country.

This proposal that the council is gearing up to approve will only push up rents, push out the local community and deepen the housing crisis.

Truman Brewery shame on you!

During the pandemic office blocks became empty, while council housing lists are overflowing.

Tower Hamlets Council where are you?

Tower Hamlets has already been identified as one of the most gentrified boroughs in London in the past decade. If this development goes through, Brick Lane’s Bangladeshi community will find themselves priced out and exiled from the place they call home.

We need a proper process of local decision making that is shaped by the needs of local communities, not the greed of large companies.

Truman Brewery shame on you!

This protest was planned for the eve of the council decision meeting, but they have delayed it. They will keep delaying it until public interest dies down, but we will be back again with another rally.

We will not let this development go through.

Truman Brewery shame on you!”

VISIT WWW.BATTLEFORBRICKLANE.COM