Join The Atos Games!
On your marks, get set…
for a week of Paralympic fun and games against Atos!
From Monday 27th to Friday 31st of August, join Disabled People Against Cuts for The Atos Games – five days of action against a company that’s sponsoring the Paralympics but wrecking disabled people’s lives.
We are calling on disabled people, disabled activists, families, colleagues, friends and supporters to come together and fight back against Atos’s attacks. Atos represents as dangerous an opponent as any government, law or barrier the disability movement has faced in its long history. It’s not just welfare, but our very identity and our place within society that is under attack.
And we are asking the whole of the anti-cuts movement to join us in our opposition to the company most responsible for driving through the government’s brutal cuts agenda. Let’s make it Games over for Atos!
We’re not against the Paralympics or the people taking part in it. We’re highlighting the hypocrisy of Atos, a company that soon may be taking disability benefits from the people winning medals for Team GB.
Ever since George Osborne announced he was slashing £18 billion from the welfare budget, the government has paid Atos £100 million a year to test 11,000sick and disabled people every week, then decide whether they’re ‘fit for work’.
Atos uses an inhumane computer programme to do the testing, and trains its staff to push people off benefits. The government has admitted the tests are flawed, and the British Medical Association wants them to end immediately.
But Atos continues to devastate people’s lives. Many have committed suicide because of its testing programme, and over 1,000 people have died of their illnesses soon after being found ‘fit for work’.
We won’t let them get away with murder, so join in The Atos Games however you can – online, on the phone, or on the streets!
· Monday 27th: We’ll hold a spoof Paralympic awards ceremony, hopefully with some very special guests…
· Tuesday 28th: Pay a visit to your local Atos office – and maybe even take your protest inside!
· Wednesday 29th: A coffin full of your messages about Atos will be delivered to its doorstep.
· Thursday 30th: Phone jam! Let’s flood Atos with calls, and generate a Twitter-storm they can’t ignore!
· Then on Friday 31st, join us in London where we’re teaming up with UK Uncut for the Grand Finale – an audacious, daring and disruptive action. Last time we shut down Oxford Circus, this time we will be performing miracles…!
Over the next few weeks we’ll give more details about each day of action. We’ll make sure that DPAC members and disabled people who can’t travel will be able to take part in different and accessible ways.
We’d really like YOU to make this week of action a great success! Let’s come together and show this monstrous company that we’re stronger than them. They’re the vulnerable ones and they know it.
Atos has offices in most towns across the country, so start organising an action for August 28th at your local Atos now!
Let the Atos Games begin!
See more details at www.dpac.uk.net, or contact mail@dpac.uk.net
Friday 31st August
Atos HQ,Triton Square, London
12:45pm
Don’t let Atos be a winner at the Paralympic Games – join us for The Closing Atos Ceremony, the grand finale to Disabled People Against Cuts’ week of Atos Games.
Atos are sponsoring the Paralympics, whilst wrecking disabled people’s lives. George Osborne has vowed to slash £18 billion from the welfare budget, regardless of peoples’ needs and ignoring the alternatives. To help them do their dirty work, the Government are paying Atos £100 million a year to ‘test’ sick and disabled people and decide whether they’re ‘fit for work’.
But Atos’ Work Capability Assessments are driving disabled people to suicide and over 1,000 people have died of their illnesses soon after being found ‘fit for work’.
The Government claim that the welfare system is being abused- this just isn’t true. Less than 0.4% of Incapacity benefit payments are fraudulent, but the government want to cut welfare spending by 20%. And instead of helping to get people into work; the government are closing workplaces for disabled people.
The Government and Atos don’t give a toss about disabled people. This is about making ordinary people pay for a crisis caused by the bankers. It’s about making disabled people pay, instead of super-rich tax dodgers who cost us over £25billion every year. This is an ideological attack on the welfare state; these cuts are a political choice. But we’re fighting back.
On Friday 31 August, UK Uncut and DPAC will be shutting down Atos’ London HQ for the Closing ATOS Ceremony. Meet in Triton Square at 12:45pm for direct action and creative protest, with plenty of surprises…
The nearest fully accessible underground station is Kings Cross. From there, catch Bus 30 towards Marble Arch or Bus 205 towards Paddington from stop R or A, and get off at Warren Street, bus stop V. BSL Interpretted event.
This action needs you! Join for the afternoon, or come on your lunch break. There will be lots of ways to take part – hand out leaflets hold banners, or get involved in creative and daring ways. If you’re not in London, check the DPAC website for details and other ways to get involved in The Atos Games.
Atos are making millions of pounds enforcing the government’s unnecessary cuts. It’s up to all of us to fight back, defend our welfare system, and demand the alternatives. Let’s show them that we do give a toss.
See you at Atos HQ!
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LOCAL EVENTS AUGUST – confirmed events so far-scroll right down , there’s a few…..
Plymouth Claimants’ Union ●
Stop Atos Sham “Medicals”
Join the national demonstrations against
Atos Healthcare
Target Atos during the Paralympics (the Atos games)
11am – Tuesday 28th August 2012
Argosy House, Marsh Mills (next to McDonald’s)
For lifts from the City Centre and Mutley, please contact PCU at:
plymouthclaimantsunion@yahoo.co.uk
They say Quack! Quack! We say Fightback
SHUT DOWN ATOS, MANCHESTER.
https://www.facebook.com/events/408151362575794/
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
ATOSManchester,AlbertBridgeHouse
|
ATOS BIRMINGHAM
https://www.facebook.com/events/334907739929304/
1pm Islington Row,Five WaysHouse. Five Ways
That’s why at 12.30pm, Tuesday 28th August we will be paying a not-so-little visit to our local Atos office in Sheffield…
We are calling on ALL disabled people, disabled activists, families, colleagues, friends and supporters in and around Sheffield to come together and fight back against Atos’s attacks. Atos represents as dangerous an opponent as any government, law or barrier the disability movement has faced in its long history. It’s not just welfare, but our very identity and our place within society that is under attack; that’s why we need as many people to come forward to help us build a great action that Atos will take notice of. We want people to come forward to help plan the day, to be spokespeople, to talk to interested media, to talk about their experiences with disability and to talk about their experience with Atos.
And we are asking the whole of the anti-cuts movement to join us in our opposition to the company most responsible for driving through the government’s brutal cuts agenda.
You are probably angry, frustrated about what is happening in our country. But you do not need to feel despair because by joining forces with others in an effective way you CAN force the change we want to see to happen.
BOURNEMOUTH
https://www.facebook.com/events/427050914002653/?notif_t=plan_user_joined
August 28th at 12.05pm ATOS healthcare WCA assessment centre, 1st floor Tamarisk House, c/o Job Centre Plus, 1, Cotlands Road, BH1 3BG
NORTHAMPTON
Highlighting the hypocrisy of Atos!
https://www.facebook.com/events/211880045607754/
12.2pm ATOS offices, Mann Isalnd lower ground floor, Port of Liverpool building, L3 1LT
SWANSEA
Disabled people, carers and friends — on Tuesday the 28th in Swansea,
take part in a national protest against ATOS, a company that’s
sponsoring the Paralympics but wrecking disabled people’s lives.
We will be holding a static protest outside of the Swansea ATOS
assessment centre from 12:00 to 1:00 at Grove House, Grove Place,
Swansea. (This is a big building across the road from the police
station).
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/515813221766234/
CARDIFF 29th August
Cardiff-Atos KIlls- mass die in to commerate lives lost
29th August at 17:00 at Aneuren Bevan Statue, Queen Street
see Face book DPAC Caerdydd-Cardiff https://www.facebook.com/#!/bronwen.caerdydd
LANCASTER
1pm. Mitre House. Lancaster. 28th August. In conjunction with Lancaster and Morecambe against the Cuts ; local Trades Union congress; occupy Lancaster uk; and led by local disabled people
SOUTHAMPTON
Soton DPAC – The Atos Games. http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/actions/914 and http://www.facebook.com/events/264238977021801
Meet Queen Park, Southampton at noon
EDINBURGH
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12:00 until 14:00 in UTC+01
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44 York Place, Edinburgh,
EH1 3JW -
Protest outside offices of ATOS Healthcare, the company profiting from sick and disabled people’s misery.12:00 NOON
see https://www.facebook.com/events/105459816270644
STROUD 29th August and September 1st
details of PROTESTS about ATOS and cuts to disability benefits
on Wednesday 29th August and Saturday 1st September.
Please join us on two upcoming protests we have organised to coincide with the Paralympics, because the Games are being sponsored by ATOS Healthcare – the company responsible for taking benefits and support away from people with disabilities (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/may/21/paralympic-games-organisers-defend-atos-sponsorship).
We will meet at 12noon on Wednesday 29th August outside Stroud JobCentre, in the Cornhill (Union St) over lunchtime – 12 noon till 2pm.
We will meet again at 11am on Saturday 1st September on Stroud High Street, for those unable to make the event during the week, and to meet more members of the public. On both occasions we will be leafleting the public with our new flyer on the Government’s attacks on people living with disabilities (see attached).
BRISTOL 30th August
a picket/protest outside atos (flowers hill) on thursday 30th at 3pm. More details over the next few days.
LEEDS
1pm Tuesday 28th City Centre.
Meet 1pmCity Square. Bring banners. We will have leaflets.
https://www.facebook.com/events/336199256474951/
additionally
8th September, Leeds workfare protest TBC.
-From 13-14th October Occupy Leeds are having a weekend “Occufest” in Leeds. We are after creative campaigns, protests, music, sports etc. I strongly encourage you to arrange an event for that weekend. Contact Occupy Leeds directly for suggestions or to help.
-On Saturday 27th October Leeds Tidal are provisionally organising a “crisis and opportunity” conference 10-4 at the Swarthmore centre.
HULL
Local disabled activists will be staging a demonstration outside the ATOS medical assessment centre on Stanley Street, Spring Bank,Hull,HU3 1JP at 11am on Tuesday 28th August. Please come and join us.
READING
August 28th 11.30- 1.30 pm
| Members will receive direct messages giving details of location. Bring banners with appropriate messages. Banners and leaflets will be available (can also be downloaded and printed) for distribution to curious and info-hungry passers-by. Songsheets will be provided for the tunefully inclined. |
https://www.facebook.com/events/354559674621074/
DERBY
August 28th noon outside ATOS office. More details from Derby Mental Health Action Group mhactiongroup@yahoo.co.uk
NEWCASTLE
August 28th 1pm at ATOS offices opposite Gosforth Library.
MEDWAY
Linda
Surely the 100 million that the gov are paying Atos would be better spent on the NHS. They could get REAL doctors to do the medicals and they would be able to look at the medical records of each person.
Good idea June, problem there is that real Doctors would actually find people as unfit to work and so able to receive benefits. That goes against what the DWP and ATOS want.
I don’t live in the North East, but maybe it’s an idea to also consider campaigning outside the offices of Steve Cram’s charity Coco, (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Blandford Square, NE1 4HZ) which gives hope to poverty-stricken children overseas. As we all know, Steve Cram is the official ambassador for ATOS at the paralympic games, so whilst he is giving hope to poverty-stricken children on the one hand, he is simultaneously making money from, and supporting, a Company that is taking hope (as well as money) from many many people with disabilities – this is the height of hypocrisy – not only taking hope, but destroying their lives. It is an outrage that Steve Cram’s link with ATOS has hardly been highlighted by the Press and other mediums (the Daily Mirror being the main exception). We need to send a clear message to Steve Cram, who continues to call himself a ‘socialist’. He, therefore, joins the list of those socialists who take from the poor to give to the rich!!
Let’s show ATOS and this rotten, capitalistic, over-privileged tory government what we think of their stinking targeting of disabled people. Closing down Oxford Circus was wonderful last time. Hopefully, August 31st will be even more successful. Bring London to a standstill!
Is anything planned for Cardiff or Bridgend in South Wales? I am too ill to organise but dearly want to attend.
We have put a ‘call out’ on twitter- if any group is happy to do this let us know and we’ll put the details up on the site
Cardiff mass die in to commerate lives lost 29th August at 17.00 at Aneuren Bevan Statue Queen Street see latest updates link http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/08/latest-information-on-atos-games-week/
Demonstration is planned for 12 noon outside ATOS Manchester, Albert Bridge House. Is anybody able to give me a lift from Bury?
Also, is there any co-ordinated strategy for contacting local radio, press, television etc, to get additional coverage?
Atos are the puppets for the DWP and the Coalition.
Shouldn’t the coffin go to Downing Street?? When there are cameras there? Atos doesn’t care and the public hasn’t really heard of them.
After all, No 10 accepted a petition from the Olympians for action on feeding the world, on TV.
I know people denied ESA who have either no food or no electricity or both.
So why can’t they accept messages from the Paralympics about making sure the disabled have food, heat and a roof over their head?
Or just send it to both.
[...] Olympics are over, but get ready for the ATOS Games. Timed to coincide with (but not disrupt) the Paralympic Games, the activist group Disabled People [...]
would you all go to change.org and sign my pettition to have atos stripped of their contract with the dwp
I’ve gladly signed your petition, Scott, and quite frankly I’m amazed more people haven’t. We need to be signing these petitions in our thousands or the DWP/Atos are going to think not enough people care and they will get away with it by default.
I also signed every other petition on the change.org website that mentioned Atos in any way to support all of you who have taken action on behalf of all of us. Thank you, Scott, for being one of them.
[...] The DPAC site will be updated regularly with more details about the Atos Games [...]
wait untill the games over then we will see atos in overdrive all those on dla and competing in the games will be called for assesments where by atos standerds they have shown they fit for work so we wait and see ,atos the killers of people and benefits jeff3
[...] is more information about the protests available on the DPAC website here: http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/08/latest-information-on-atos-games-week/ Like this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
does anyone have a plan to demonstrate in newcastle /tyneside area?
Id like to go and demonstrate but it doesnt seem that anyone is supporting of this here!
There are meetings at the moment – hoping to get something together for Newcastle for 28th -it will be publicised on dpac site
I hope the local t.v and media do not block coverage of these demos.The despatches program wasnt even discussed on the news the next day.We need someone famous to support us.
Dont forget to get in touch with The independant Newspaper, Nina Lakhani – she is running stories on ATOS
Wendy, I was thinking exactly the same!
I’m not in the North est either but noting Joe’s point about about Steve Cram’s role as ambassador for Atos above I also note that Bede’s World in Jarrow is having a Steve Cram exhibition. Surely too good a protest opportunity to miss?
[...] Northampton, Liverpool, Swansea, Lancaster, Southampton and London. For full details see: http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/08/latest-information-on-atos-games-week/. Campaigners are holding spoof Paralympic awards ceremonies, visiting their local Atos offices and [...]
Brilliant to see so many actions. Let us know if you want to use our Street Theatre or Monologues in your demos. http://atosstories.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/its-not-over-yet.html
We have a new ending for the Monologues so if anyone is using them, email us and we can let you have the latest.
Attended an assessment with my son and the out come was zero points. The synopsis of the session by the health care assessor was mostly fiction on the assessor’s part or thing the assessor said and not what my son said. I believe the assessor tried to put words in my son’s mouth, attempted to manipulate him and some of the time actually trying to trick him. If I were the nurse who did that report, I am not sure I could sleep at night.
Hoping to join you on the 31st and good luck in all you do.
Sadly I feel, our country is now run by corruption and greed. It has lost its British heart and been replaced by a non caring, almost barbaric society where human life is no longer sacred. There is a smell of totalitarianism about the way things are, albeit hidden under a pretense of freedom to the people. Life is very scary and a bigger divide is being created between the rich and the poor. As our PM is the son of a millionaire even if he became disabled, or mentally disabled, he will never have to suffer the indignity of being 3rd degree’d by Atos and then have a report that is basically a lie.
Keep up the good fight – lets not give in to the people who would mentally torture others, and disabled people at that – no better than the Nazis!-
[...] else, take part in next week’s Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) Atos Games Week (DPAC [...]
NORHAMPTON DPAC today held a stall in Abington Street (Northampton)
Included in the many that put they name to the partition was deaf and blind medal-winning paralympic swimmer Janice Tillett, from Crofters Close, East Hunsbury,Northampton, who represented Great Britain in the pool at the Barcelona Paralympics in 1992, winning two relay silver medals. She also won four European Campionships golds for her country
Janice as been recorded in the local press:
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/former-paralympian-from-northampton-fears-benefits-cuts-1-3981840
We hope that Janice will join us at Atos on the 28 Aug
[...] that’s sponsoring the Paralympics but wrecking disabled people’s lives. More information at the Disabled People Against the Cuts website Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPrintLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
[...] http://www.dpac.uk.net/2012/08/latest-information-on-atos-games-week/ [...]
Scott – I’ve found your petition, signed and shared – Good Luck
[...] 20 people demonstrated today outside the ATOS assessment centre in Birmingham as part of a week of action protesting the Working Capability Assessment (WCA) which is run by ATOS for the Department of Work [...]
[...] sponsor. This quickly turned into a PR disaster after a week of action against the company saw protests in every major city in the UK, a mock funeral outside their London Headquarters and finally a successful occupation and blockade [...]