UN International Day for The Eradication of Poverty in Glasgow
Glasgow's annual rally and act of remembrance for all those affected by poverty.
When
Oct 17, 2008
Where
George Square, Glasgow
Please join us if you can and tell others! - This is for everyone, for:
In 2014, Glasgow will be the proud Host City for the Commonwealth Games. Already, politicians and people are asking "what will be the lasting legacy of these games – especially for the people of the East End?"
Every year since 1992, a group supporting people living in poverty in Glasgow has organised a rally in George Square on 17 October. This year, the event will focus particularly on the legacy of the Games, and on the seven indicators of the poverty that still, shockingly, devastate the lives of so many in our city:
Poverty of Inadequate Income
Poverty of Unemployment
Poverty of Poor Health
Poverty of Poor Education
Poverty of Inadequate Access to Services
Poverty of Poor Housing
Poverty of Fear of Crime
Many of us associate poverty with not having enough money to make ends meet. We will hear real life stories from those who live with or have experienced the effect of grinding poverty that still cripples the lives of our fellow citizens in Glasgow today, and we will remember those in other countries around the globe whose human rights are violated by the scandal of poverty.
This event is supported by:
The Church of Scotland’s Presbytery of Glasgow
The Archdiocese of Glasgow’s Justice & Peace Commission
Faith in Community Scotland
Church Action on Poverty
The Iona Community
The Poverty Alliance
ATD Fourth World
The story of "The Stone"
17 October 1987: Paris Brought together by ATD Fourth World, 100,000 people from around the world gathered at the Plaza of Human Rights and Liberties, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, to inaugurate a Commemorative Stone in honour of the Victims of Extreme Poverty in every part of the globe.
Few monuments are erected in honour of poor people and their courage. Often buried without a headstone, slums erased from maps, stories not recorded in books – the Stone was meant to go some way to filling that void. Every year since then, people have gathered on 17 October to stand in solidarity, and to state unequivocally that “poverty is neither inevitable nor acceptable.”
In 1992, the United Nations declared 17 October the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
17 October 1999: Glasgow, after years of campaigning by Glasgow Braendam Link, a Commemorative Stone, carved in granite and similar to the one in Paris, was unveiled in George Square. It was laid in earth brought from Paris (the Headquarters of ATD Fourth World), Stirling (from the grounds of Braendam Family House), and Glasgow (from the back court of the tenement base of Glasgow Braendam Link).
In George Square, on 17 October every year since, a rally has been held, with music, drama, dancing and always at the heart, people living in poverty standing up and telling their stories.
The Stone stands as a permanent reminder that in Glasgow, as in so many parts of the world, “poverty is neither inevitable nor acceptable”.
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