Christians join protests against Atos
Members of Christianity Uncut are joining protests this week against Atos, a company who are doing the government’s dirty work by throwing thousands of disabled people off benefits.
Atos have £3.1bn of contracts with the UK government and are responsible for assessing disabled people’s ability to work and entitlement to benefits. Thousands have seen their benefits scrapped or cut after Atos declared them to be fit for work. But over 40% of appeals against Atos ruling are upheld, suggesting that the company is either incompetent or operating with the goal of getting as many people off benefits as possible. This fits with the government’s goal of reducing the welfare bill (despite cutting taxes for the rich and spending billions on nuclear arms). It takes no account of the realities of illness or impairment, or of the barriers faced by disabled people who want to work but are prevented by inaccessible workplaces and employers’ prejudices.
There are protests going on across the UK this week, not least because Atos are a sponsor of the paralympics. The biggest protest is expected to be in London on Friday (31 August). Organised by UK Uncut and Disabled People Against Cuts, it will take place at Atos’ national offices. There is more information here, and you can also sign up for the event (and invite your friends) on Facebook. Several supporters of Chrsitianity Uncut will be there, while others are joining protests elsewhere, campaigning online, praying for those involved and/or raising the issue in their churches.
Jesus said that he had come to bring good news to the poor. Christianity Uncut believes that Jesus’ followers are called to take sides when the poorest members of society are under attack, while seeking to wage nonviolent struggles with love for enemies as well as allies.
To hear more about Atos and the criticisms of it, you can read this story in today’s Independent.
Christians for Economic Justice 
Where injustice becomes the law resistance becomes our duty. Doing our Christian duty to expose this persecution. In solidarity with you from us at the Derbyshire Anti-Cuts Campaign group and God bless you.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Derbyshire-Anti-Cuts-Campaign-Save-Our-Services-SOS/149767175046701
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Way back in our history there was a light tax. To get around this silly tax, property owners bricked up their windows . Now there is talk about bringing in a “bedroom tax” April 2013! If indeed what I have read is true about the “bedroom tax”. French company Atos should immediately call in all serving MPs for a dope test.
They would not do that though, because it would bring into question £3.1 billion of public money given by government dopes to Atos , to assess seriously sick and disabled people as suitable for work by unqualified bully assessors.
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I was at the Manchester one on Tuesday too. Really positive protest, really sickening stories of how people are being treated.
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As the late Dorothy Day Said “The only thing that is wrong is our acceptance of, this filthy rotten system!”…. And ” The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us? ”
I am not by any means as faithful to God as I would like to be, but I have learnt that to change anything, you must first of all start with yourself…. The above statements are both from Dorothy Day, and I for one think that with mindfulness and prayer….and nonviolent direct action, we MUST appose Atos!!!
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In my opinion, we have to change the way we vote, to have any chance of making sense out of the nonsense, generated by the Lib /Lab / Con leadership.
There are good people in all political groups, and no matter which faith you follow
Atos is just one spoke in a wheel of misery inflicted on the majority, by a minority of career politicians and civil servants.
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We now learn that the Co-operative Bank, supposedly an ethical bank compared to other banks, has Atos providing their IT and HR services. This company sponsored the Paralympics and has also just been given more contracts by those in charge of our country to run the welfare reforms that are still to come next year including the introduction of the Personal Independent Payment (PIP) which is to replace DLA. By their deeds shall we know them. What would Jesus do?
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