Southside Comes Together to Celebrate The Festival of Resistance
On the weekend of the 13th/14th June, the residents of Pollokshields gathered to commemorate, celebrate and educate on the anniversary of the Kenmure Street protests.
By Jack Howse
The Festival of Resistance, which was organised by Govanhill Baths, saw a variety of speakers, entertainers and anti-racist organisations come together to commemorate a day in which saw Glasgow stand up to hate.
On the morning of 13 May 2021, Whatsapp groups pinged, banners unfurled and groups mobilised as people hurried down to Kenmure Street, once they got wind of the arrival of the Home Office who sought to detain two Pollokshields residents. One of the first on the scene was retrospectively named ‘Van Man’ who threw himself under the immigration enforcement van meant to take the men away. The Van Man and two others are currently appealing for witnesses from that in the fight against the legal challenge mounted against them. Find out more here.
The protest continued on into the afternoon as more and more people gathered, picketing and chanting. Finally the two men were released at 5pm and escorted to the local mosque. One year on, people gathered to commemorate this momentous day.
Read more Life on Pause: Community Resistance to an Inhumane Asylum System
The sun shone brightly as local people, activists and community groups gathered for the anniversary of Kenmure Street. As people made their way towards Maxwell Square, they passed residents in their front yards handing out hot dogs, hosting an open mic and kids face painting. Once at the green square, people were greeted by a row of stalls from different anti-racist organisations including MILK Café and Unity Sisters. Here, the stalls distributed different information pamphlets to help educate people on contemporary issues, policies as well as providing a pedestal for organisations in Glasgow who are tirelessly campaigning against insidious Home Office policy.
Once inside the park, an aromatic mix of different foods greeted the punters. Daals, jacket potatoes and salted miso brownies were all on offer on a pay-what-you-can basis. In one quiet corner of the park, a 5-year-old girl used a mounted apple spiraliser to create an apple hedgehog which she doused in honey.
On the stage, there were a number of different speakers and entertainers. One particularly heartwarming section was when three school children from the local primary school came onstage to serve an impassioned plea for greater community integration and how they themselves seek to create a better future for everyone. A clip including two of the children has now gone viral on TikTok (albeit for reasons not related to the celebrations) with 20 million views and 2.5 million likes.
The Kenmure Street Festival of Resistance was a chance to both reflect on the political culture wars surrounding immigration but also was a celebration of the power of resistance and that we can look out for our neighbours.