Return of the soapbox orators
Article published: Monday, October 4th 2010
A piece of Manchester’s radical history returned to Platt Fields Park with the revival of Speakers’ Corner. Dozens gathered to take part in a spirited, occasionally controversial exercise of free speech.
Organised by Friends of Platt Fields on Saturday 25 September, the tradition was revived as part of the park’s centenary celebrations. Members of the public were invited to get up on their soapbox and attempt – successfully or otherwise – to win the audience over to their views.
Topics ranged from the fun of bike riding to people speaking out against government cuts to the arts. Any subject could be chosen, although incitements to racial and religious hatred were not permitted.
Religion sparked the liveliest debates, with quick exchanges over the roles of faith and tolerance flying back and forth between speakers and the audience. First to speak was Mark Conway from Radcliffe, who voiced fears of faith schools manipulating the spirit of tolerance to spread bigotry and “brainwashing” among pupils.
Anne Tucker, secretary of Platt Fields Park, pointed out how the park itself could bring people of different faiths together. She gave the example of the Hindi festivals of Dashehra and Diwali, hosted by the park and attended by people of different faiths and none: “I think it’s an amazing thing to have in an inner-city park. It’s become a festival of the autumn.”
In its heyday Speakers’ Corner saw up to twenty people at a time holding forth on issues of the day – audiences showing varying levels of appreciation depending on the speaker, of course. The last major event to draw crowds was the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, which received an echo in local Labour MP Gerald Kaufman’s speech criticising Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.
While only planning to bring back the corner for one day, Tucker felt it had gone well: “What’s been lovely is how engaged people have been. We’ve had a really good range of views with people speaking about different things.” Others agreed, with a quick vote finding unanimous support for holding another event like it in the future.
Jay Din, a passer-by curious to find what was happening, said he hoped Speakers’ Corner would not be a one-off. “The tradition’s gone and it’s a shame. YouTube and the internet’s all well and good but having people come together like this where people can speak face to face is important, especially in these times. People need to get involved.”
Richard Goulding
More: Manchester
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