Video: English National Opera Chorus Sings 'You'll Never Walk Alone' At Arts Funding Protest

Around 300 people have demonstrated outside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS, 100 Parliament St, London SW1A 2BQ), calling for a reversal to cuts to arts organisations and an increase in arts funding.

Organised by Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union, the demonstration brought together supporters of the campaign; members from trade unions, including Equity, Bectu, the Musicians' Union, the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and PCS; and workers from affected arts organisations such the English National Opera (ENO), which stands to lose 100% of its Arts Council England (ACE) funding, putting over 300 jobs at risk.

Actress and Equity member Juliet Stevenson was also in attendance, as well as the Labour MP and former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. A full list of speakers at the demonstration is below, with the event culminating in the ENO chorus singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. See the video of their performance below!

Speakers included Charlotte Jones, CEO of the Independent Theatre Council (ITC), Zainab Hasan, actress & Equity Councillor, David Newman (ENO chorus & Equity member), Deborah Davidson (ENO chorus member), Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu, Naomi Pohl, General Secretary, Musicians' Union & a member of the ENO orchestra, Nadia Whittome Labour MP for Nottingham East, and Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary.

Equity has also sent a letter to Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, stating the union's demands for an increase to UK arts funding that would enable Arts Council England to reverse cuts to culture organisations.

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