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Support George Rolph: on hunger strike having had his disability benefits denied

George Rolph - hunger strikeToday, George Rolph is in day 16 of his hunger strike, which he is doing for others going through what he has had to endure, whilst also trying to get the general public to wake up to what is happening to the most vulnerable people in the United Kingdom, a country which once cared for those who are vulnerable, sick and disabled.

He says he will not stop this hunger strike until the British government and ATOS stop their persecution of the sick, the disabled, the poor, the carers, the unemployed, even if it means he has to die in doing so.

Two days ago, his facebook account was deleted without warning or explanation, the media has chosen to ignore what George is doing, emails and messages to the BBC have been ignored so please share this information as widely as possible. You can also sign a petition calling for a parliamentary debate on his hunger strike here.

George’s own appeal reads as follows:

We all know about the growing disconnect in this country between those who claim to lead us and the people they want to lead. We have all seen the ever more intrusive nature of government poking into our daily lives. Right now you are on cameras that are watching you closely. Give them a wave and a cheer. We have witnessed the awful corruption going on, both here in the UK, and in the EU.

We have sat and gasped as politicians have openly led us into illegal wars in other lands. All of these things and much more than I have mentioned here leave us feeling soiled as a people. As if we have been dragged unwillingly in some perverts private party. It feels like our land is not our land any more. It has been stolen from us and we are just drones who keep it all ticking over so others can benefit from your labours, while you get fed in drips and drabs, the little bits that fall from the table. We watch as the London Mayor and other politicians take our money to build huge expensive projects, so they can strut around looking proud and having massive ego trips in front of the cameras.

Yet, in the midst of this financial splurging, we see the same people hammering the poorest and most vulnerable people in the land. Energy prices are zooming through the roof. That drives all prices up. Yet, at the same time, benefits for the poor are either cut or done away with. A new bedroom tax is imposed which is making people homeless or causing massive problems for people who have to find the money in the face of shrinking income. Make no mistake. This is not accidental. The politicians know EXACTLY what they are doing and they are following a script, the details of which they have hidden from us, but which they are feeding to us a little at a time. Did you notice, for example, that just before the new welfare reforms for the sick and disabled were announced, the media had a propaganda blitz on people faking sickness to scrounge dole money? It is called social psychology and you and I are the targets of it.

When those reforms came in I went happily to the ATOS assessment interviews, because I had nothing to hide. I was sick. I was not scrounging anything. I needed help, that is all. Three times I passed. Three times I answered the same questions the same way and passed unfit to work. On the forth time, despite the questions and answers being the same, they took all of my benefits away. Someone, to meet a target set by government, decided to ignore the other three assessment reports and single me out for another kind of treatment. The imposition of total poverty! I knew what was coming to me then, but I was too shocked to think about it.

No money to pay rent. No money to pay gas or electricity bills. No money to pay council tax demands. No money to pay the phone bill. No money to buy clothes. No money to buy food. I was facing bailiffs, eviction, hunger and homelessness at 60 years of age. I knew I would not live long on the streets. I knew they were condemning me to certain death. I only had two things left. My dignity and my fighting spirit. I decided to fight back! I decided I would not just tug my forelock and accept my fate as I backed away from my “masters” in government. I decided I did not like the idea of being their serf! I decided to use what they had planned for me, against them.

If they wanted me dead OK. I would die, but I would do it exposing them for what they are, and I would do it for all the other sick and disabled people they had already driven to suicide, despair or were about to hurt. I went on hunger strike. I went on Facebook and I began to yell the place down. People began to come and see what all the noise was about. At first a few. Then more. Then more. Then more. I have told them NOT to copy me but to fight with me. I have told them the same truth I am going to tell you now. THIS LAND DOES NOT BELONG TO THE POLITICIANS AND NEITHER DO YOUR LIVES. THIS LAND IS YOURS AND YOUR LIVES ARE YOURS TOO. NO ONE OWNS YOU. NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO ABUSE AND MANIPULATE YOU THROUGH SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OR ECONOMIC TERRORISM.

There is however an even deeper truth and it is simply this: YOU, ARE WHERE THE REAL POWER LIES and if you will stand together as one, you can make those politicians that are hurting and killing our people in the name of ideology or profit, back into the public servants they really are. STAND TALL. STAND PROUD. STAND STRONG. You do not need to be violent. You only need to be united. Tell these corrupted, ruthless and vile politicians that you DEMAND your country back. You DEMAND that they take care of our weakest. You DEMAND they withdraw their poverty creating taxes. I am willing to give my life to help those who cannot help themselves.

Not because I am special. Or a hero. Or because I want to be famous, but because I have a heart that bleeds for them and I cannot bear what these vermin in Westminster and beyond are doing to our nation. WE MUST STOP ATOS AND WE MUST DO IT FAST. Don’t let them fool you. You do not need to gain power. YOU ARE THE POWER UNDER GOD IN THIS LAND. WILL YOU HELP ME TO FIGHT FOR YOU BY FIGHTING BESIDE ME? God bless you all. Look me up on Facebook and lets get to work.”

9 Comments

  1. Rob says:

    Do it for your self you cannot do it for others, same as those people who want to allow me the right to die, do not do it for me, do it for your self.

    I’m disabled myself and have been through the whole process and it’s a nightmare, the things you have to do say and plead.

    The fact is I have to spend money to prove to ATOS I’m disabled, because the DWP do not keep files on my condition or my disability. I spent hundreds to get a letter to send to the DWP to prove what I said was true, where as all it would have taken the DWP was a phone call to speak to my GP.

    BUt I know the feeling I was willing to end my life, but today we are hearing what and what labour would not do if they got into power and reversing what the Tories are doing seems low on labours agenda.

    The fact is the welfare reforms are labours and we all remember the wise words of Miliband at conference about knocking on a disabled person home, they asking next door if the person was disabled.

    Poor old Wallace cannot even make up his own mind he asked other.

  2. susan taylor says:

    Atos should be fired, sending people fit to work letters as they lie dying in hospital Is disgusting. they are NOT doing a good job quite the reverse. they are costing TAX PAYERS more in appeals that are being upheld , than any money saved. which will just be wasted on more perks for the rich.

  3. Jayne Linney says:

    Thanks for giving George this space

  4. Simon says:

    Sorry but for all the whinging and pleading above do we actually know what is medically wrong with this fella?

  5. CAS says:

    Simon – you don’t sound like a very nice or compassionate person.
    ‘whinging’???
    Obviously YOU haven’t been ‘processed’ by ATOS.

    ATOS gave me 12 points, DWP reduced them to 6, Court put them up to 18.
    Call this a fair/honest system?
    The fact that he WAS awarded benefits three times proves a need.

  6. Robin says:

    @Simon – What a ridiculous question. Granted this person hasn’t gone into personal details about his disability but the very fact he is on hungerstrike should tell you its not “whinging” but a protest against the unjust system. Would you go on hungerstrike for the sake of it? I proudly pay taxes in the hope that if one day a loved one (or anyone in actual fact) fell ill there would be provisions in place to support them.
    Either go away and have a long hard think about the world you live in before returning or just simply go away. This is a forum to offer support and comments like that are not wanted.

  7. Robin says:

    *his disability or illness *

  8. Robin says:

    And in fact I am no longer proud to pay taxes in the knowledge that the support is not there.

  9. fiona says:

    Wishing you the best George. I sincerely hope your benefits will be reinstated. Three interviews supporting you and then one cancelling your payments does not make sense. It is time the government understood the hardship and poverty, not to mention anguish and despair, it is imposing on the most vulnerable in society. I am shocked at what is happening. I see more and more people selling the Big Issue than I have ever seen. All the best George.

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