The UK Solidarity Story: a new film by WORLDwrite

From the Suffragettes to the Battle of Bamber Bridge, the Grunwick dispute to the miners’ strike, WORLDwrite tells a different story of UK solidarity - get your tickets to the northern premiere below.

The education charity WORLDwrite, which has been a media partner with the Battle of Ideas festival for almost two decades, has just released its latest film: The UK Solidarity Story.

This epic feature-length documentary explores the meaning of solidarity, weaving together compelling personal testimonies with poignant historical and political analysis. The film showcases heroes and heroines who have embraced the struggles of others as their own.

Told in 10 chapters, the documentary spans key moments over the past 160 years. It begins with the Lancashire millworkers who chose starvation over supporting slavery during the cotton famine and extends to contemporary young Russians siding with Ukraine. These stories highlight how individuals and groups have historically shown solidarity, often against significant odds.

Inspired by their experience filming messages of support for Ukraine, the charity’s volunteer crews discovered that the true meaning of solidarity and its historical precedents were not widely understood. For many, solidarity merely implied pity. The horrific media reports from the Ukraine conflict, aptly labelled ‘pity porn’, certainly stirred sympathy. But when it came to more concrete support like sending arms to Ukraine, many balked. They perceived Ukrainians primarily as victims rather than fighters defending their sovereignty and democracy, likening the conflict to a natural disaster rather than a war of resistance.

The UK Solidarity Story scrutinises this critical distinction. Solidarity, it posits, is not about feeling sorry for others; it’s about actively taking sides, supporting a cause, and assisting others in their struggle in order to win. There is no ‘I-Me’ in solidarity; it is not about virtue signalling or the gesture politics of social media memes. Instead, solidarity requires political commitment, winning arguments and taking action to support people fighting for what you believe is right. Perhaps most importantly, it is about people taking action themselves rather than appealing to authorities, judges or third parties, often in opposition to government and legal restrictions.

One key question the film explores is whether we need to have ‘skin in the game’ to take solidarity action. The film suggests that this is not necessarily the case. We might have a common interest or a common enemy, or we might be guided by our moral compass and the principle of doing unto others as we would have done unto us. The film argues that while solidarity may have historical roots in left-wing movements, it transcends today’s leftist concerns by rejecting identity politics.

The film poses the question: if universalism is no longer valued, common interests are derided and individual experiences and differences are paramount, where does that leave us? The answer, according to the film, is not in a good place. It urges viewers to challenge the modern ‘stay in your lane’ social-justice mantra, and shows through history that solidarity has defied such divisive notions.

With expert testimonies and compelling archival footage, The UK Solidarity Story is a visual essay for our times. It highlights lesser-known acts of bravery that have, at times, shaped history. It covers events such as the Spanish Civil War, where volunteers were prepared to die for a distant cause; the Battle of Bamber Bridge, where locals sided with black American GIs against segregation; straight support for gay liberation; men who supported the suffragettes and women’s right to choose; and significant movements like Grunwick, Workers Against Racism, and the miners’ strike.

The production - the result of over a year of impressive research and interviews by over 100 volunteers - aims to spark serious debate and renew faith in our shared humanity.

The northern premiere of The UK Solidarity Story will take place in Leeds on Monday, May 27 at 6:30 PM for a 7PM start at the Adelphi, 1-3 Hunslet Rd, Leeds LS10 1JQ.

FREE tickets are available for Academy of Ideas Substack subscribers. Simply sign up below and email world.write@btconnect.com to claim yours.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session featuring authors Michael Crowley and Don Milligan, videographer Dan Clayton, and the film’s director. The trailer and press kit are available here.

Public tickets and further details are available via Eventbrite. The charity looks forward to seeing you on the Leeds red carpet.

Ceri Dingle is director of WORLDwrite, a youth education charity which became known for its internationalism and campaigning slogan ‘Ferraris for all’. WORLDwrite campaigns for change using film and video through its online Citizen TV channel WORLDbytes.