Hulme sweet Hulme

Another of my Manchester postcards from the archives. In the 1980s Viraj Mendis a mature student, had claimed sanctuary for  two years in a church in Hulme Manchester. Eventually in January 1989 the police raided it and he was deported to Sri Lanka. This was taken the day after the deportation, during a march through the city centre. These were reinforcements waiting to catch kids wagging school.  I was reminded of this photo when talking to Steve Judson a photographer with a particular interest in housing. The infamous ‘deck access’ housing in the background of this picture has gone, but I’m told the City of Manchester is still paying for it. Oh! Nostalgia for the days when it wasn’t illegal to take a picture on the street, but police officers had to display their numbers. (Actually I made that last bit up, it was common to see police at protests without numbers on).