UK actors union Equity is to rally in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA later this week in London and Manchester.
Attendees announced so far for the rally taking place at 12 p.m. GMT (4 a.m. PT) on Friday include Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming, Equity President Lynda Rooke and John McDonnell, the former Shadow Chancellor for the opposition Labour Party. More attendees will be announced in due course.
Protestors will march from London’s Leicester Square and Manchester’s Media City – the workplace of hundreds of BBC and ITV employees, along with multiple production companies – in support of striking actors in the U.S.
Equity said “there will be a colourful display of banners, flags and signs for people to hold, and we’ll hear from speakers from the entertainment industry and trade union movement.”
The union has been clear it will “stand in unwavering solidarity” with SAG-AFTRA since the strike was called but UK anti-trade union laws state that “SAG-AFTRA members currently working under an Equity UK collective bargaining agreement should continue to report to work.”
Equity released the guidance pertaining to this late last week and U.S. shows filming in the UK with majority international casts such as House of the Dragon and Industry, which fall under Equity collective bargaining agreements, are pushing on amidst the strike. Some UK-based projects, such as Rami Malek-starrer Amateur, have paused.