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Hundreds of people joined a torchlit march through the centre of Newport on Saturday evening to retrace the footsteps of the chartists who were killed there in 1839 while protesting to demand the vote. The march started at 5.30pm in Bellevue Park and made its way down Stow Hill to Westgate Square, the scene of the original confrontation which ended with soldiers shooting dead 22 marchers and wounding many more. The annual event is the highlight of the Newport Rising Festival, a 10-day programme of educational and entertainment activities organised by the voluntary trust, Our Chartist Heritage, which was set up to increase knowledge and understanding of the south Wales Chartists and their huge contribution to winning the vote for ordinary working people in Britain and internationally. The march was led by Torchwood actor Gareth David-Lloyd in the role of a Chartist leader and TUC Cymru general secretary Shavanah Taj. Below are some amazing pictures of the event taken by photographer Richard Swingler.
