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Occupy movement

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"Occupy" protests
A tent at the Occupy London encampment in the City of London
DateSeptember 17, 2011 (2011-09-17) – ongoing
(4834 days)
Location
List of "Occupy" protest locations
Caused byEconomic inequality, corporate influence over government, inter alia.
Methods
StatusOngoing
Casualties and losses
Arrests: 780+[1] Italy: 12[2] 70 injured[2]

The "Occupy" protests are an ongoing series of international protests which began in late September 2011 and are primarily against social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government.[3][4] The protests take their name from their solidarity with, and similar organizational tactics to, the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City. "Occupy" protests commonly use the #Occupy hashtag format, the slogan We are the 99%, and organize through websites such as "Occupy Together".[5]

To date protests have taken place in over 900 cities across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Americas.[6]

Background

On May 30, ¡Democracia Real YA!, a leader in the Spanish Indignants movement, inspired by the Arab Spring,[7][8] made a call for a worldwide protest on October 15.[9]

In mid-2011, the Canadian-based group Adbusters Media Foundation, best known for its advertisement-free anti-consumerist magazine called Adbusters, proposed a peaceful occupation of Wall Street to protest corporate influence on democracy, address a growing disparity in wealth, and the absence of legal repercussions behind the recent global financial crisis.[10] According to the senior editor of the magazine, “[they] basically floated the idea in mid-July into our [email list] and it was spontaneously taken up by all the people of the world, it just kind of snowballed from there.”[10] They promoted the protest with a poster featuring a dancer atop Wall Street's iconic Charging Bull.[11][12] Also in July, they stated that, "Beginning from one simple demand – a presidential commission to separate money from politics – we start setting the agenda for a new America."[13] Activists from Anonymous also encouraged its followers to take part in the protest which increased the attention it received calling protesters to "flood lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and Occupy Wall Street".[14][15][16][17]

Chronology of events

The Occupy Wall Street protests began in New York City on September 17, 2011.[18] On 9 October 2011 activists in cities in over 25 countries made calls for global protests on 15 October.[19][20][21] Many used online website and social media like Facebook, Twitter, Meetup, and Tumblr to coordinate the events,[19] and a list of events for October 15 included 951 cities in 82 countries.[22] On October 15 events were held in many cities worldwide.[23]

Protests

See also: List of "Occupy" protest locations and 15 October 2011 global protests

Canada

Occupy Montreal demonstration on 15 October2011
Main article: Occupy Canada

"Occupy" demonstrations have been taking place in at least 20 Canadian cities since October 15. Events have been concentrated in provincial urban areas, and there have yet to be any demonstrations in the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut.[24][25]

A sister demonstration called "Occupy(ed) Canada" has arisen too, as a call to raise awareness of decolonization, to build an understanding of what that means, and to profile different initiatives that are working to achieve a balanced society between the 'settlers' and the indigenous peoples. This group is part of a larger discussion that has spanned several other Occupy events.[26][27]

Italy

See also: 2011 Rome demonstration

On 15 October 2011 about 200,000 people[28] gathered in Rome to protest against economic inequality and the influence of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund on government.[29] Many other protests occured in other Italian cities the same day.[30]

In Rome masked and hooded militants wearing makeshift body armor, in black bloc fashion, infiltrated the protests centered in St John Lateran square and committed numerous violent acts, throwing Molotov cocktails and other homemade explosives, burning and blowing up cars, burning buildings, and smashing up property such as ATMs and shop windows.[31] The Roman Catholic church Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano received extensive damage, including a statue of the Virgin Mary being thrown into the street and destroyed.[31] Several unexploded petrol bombs were reportedly found on several streets by Italian police.[31] Over 1,000,000 euros of damage (equaivilent to over 1.3 million dollars) was recorded.[31] At least 135 people were injured in the resulting clashes, including 105 police officers, several of whom were left in critical condition,[32] and two news crews from Sky Italia.[33][31] Two protesters had their fingers amputated by exploding smoke bombs.[31] Almost 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.[31]

Republic of Ireland

Protests were held in Dublin,[34] Cork, and Galway.[35] The Irish Times described the movement in the following terms: The group has no hierarchical structure, has set up a Facebook page and Twitter account – with the social media links attracting a very mixed, and sometimes critical, reaction. The protest in Dublin was organized by the "Real Democracy Now! Ireland", and "Occupy Dame Street" protest, set up outside the Central Bank of Ireland in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York, also continued on October 15th.

United Kingdom

Main article: Occupy London

As part of the 15 October 2011 global protests, protesters gathered in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.[36] The London Stock Exchange in Paternoster Square was the initial target for the protestors of Occupy London on October 15, 2011.[37][38][39] Attempts to occupy the square were thwarted by police.[39][40] Police sealed off the entrance to the square as it was private property, a High Court injunction had been granted against public access to the square.[41] 2500-3000 people gathered nearby outside St Paul's Cathedral, with 250 camping overnight.[40] The canon of St. Paul's, Reverend Giles Fraser, said he was happy for people to "exercise their right to protest peacefully" outside the cathedral and an indefinite encampment was established.[40] Additional smaller protests occured in Nottingham.[42] As of 17 October an indefinite encampment had also been established on College Green in Bristol.[43]

United States

The General Assembly meeting in Washington Square Park, New York City on October 8th
Poster

Main articles: Occupy Ashland, Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Austin, Occupy Boston, Occupy Buffalo, Occupy Chicago, Occupy Dallas, Occupy Eugene, Occupy Houston, Occupy Oakland, Occupy Philadelphia, Occupy Portland, Occupy Salem, Occupy San Jose, Occupy Seattle, Occupy Wall Street

New York City

The Occupy Wall Street protests began in New York City in September 2011.[44] By October 9, similar demonstrations were either ongoing or had been held in 70 major cities and over 600 communities across the U.S.[44]

Dallas

Occupy Dallas began on October 6, 2011 with a march to the Federal Reserve Building in the city.[45][46][47] A series of meetings that were titled "The General Assembly" or "GA" were held to plan the beginning of the event on October 6, 2011, and have been held on an ongoing basis to create a consensus on policies and planning for the occupation. Committees known as "working groups" have been formulated to utilize the expertise of volunteers who wish to assist in the event.[48] On October 6, 2011, Occupy Dallas marched from Pike Park to the Dallas Federal Reserve Branch.[49]

Roughly 150 protestors remain camped at City Hall Park.[50] Originally camped at Pioneer Plaza, protestors agreed to move to City Hall Park as a settlement with the city of Dallas.[51]

Seattle

Occupy Seattle began on 27 September 2011 at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, Washington.[52][53] Occupy Seattle held a demonstration on 1 October. [54]

On October 15, the Occupy Seattle movement had its largest demonstration so far, with over 3,000 people rallying in Westlake Park.[55]

Call for a constitutional convention

Harvard law professor and Creative Commons board member Lawrence Lessig called for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution[56] at a September 24–25, 2011 conference co-chaired by the Tea Party Patriots' national coordinator,[57] in Lessig's October 5 book, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress – and a Plan to Stop It,[58] and at the Occupy protest in Washington, DC.[59] Reporter Dan Froomkin said the book could serve as a manifesto for the protesters, focusing on the core problem of corruption in both political parties and their elections.[60] Lessig's initial constitutional amendment would allow legislatures to limit political contributions from non-citizens, including corporations, anonymous organizations, and foreign nationals (see Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.) Lessig also supports public campaign financing and electoral college reform to establish the one person, one vote principle.[61] Lessig's web site convention.idea.informer.com allows anyone to propose and vote on constitutional amendments.[62] Similar amendments have been proposed by Dylan Ratigan,[63] Karl Auerbach,[64] and others.[65]

International reaction

 India

On 19 October 2011 Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, described the protests as "a warning for all those who are in charge of the processes of governance."[66]

See also

Note. Cities with 'Occupy' articles are in the show-hide table below.

Template:Anti-government protests in the 21st century

References

  1. ^ "700 Arrested After Wall Street Protest on N.Y.'s Brooklyn Bridge". Fox News Channel. October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "FOTO in VIDEO: 'Elitna skupina moških nadzira finančni sistem'". 24ur.com. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  3. ^ Wall Street protesters: We're in for the long haul Bloomberg Businessweek. Accessed: October 3, 2011.
  4. ^ Lessig, Lawrence (October 5, 2011). "#OccupyWallSt, Then #OccupyKSt, Then #OccupyMainSt". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 6, 2011.
  5. ^ Ben Berkowitz, From a single hashtag, a protest circled the world. Brisbane Times. Published October 19, 2011, accessed October 19, 2011
  6. ^ "Occupy movement: from local action to a global howl of protest". The Guardian. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  7. ^ Frayer, Lauren Inspired by Arab Protests, Spain's Unemployed Rally for Change, in voanews, May 19, 2011
  8. ^ "From Europe to the US, protesters are inspired by Arab spring". The National (Abu Dhabi). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  9. ^ "Democracia Real Ya prepara una convocatoria mundial para el 15 de octubre". El País. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  10. ^ a b Fleming, Andrew (September 27, 2011). "Adbusters sparks Wall Street protest Vancouver-based activists behind street actions in the U.S". The Vancouver Courier. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  11. ^ Beeston, Laura (October 11, 2011). "The Ballerina and the Bull: Adbusters' Micah White on 'The Last Great Social Movement'". The Link. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  12. ^ Schneider, Nathan (September 29, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street: FAQ". The Nation. Retrieved 2011-10-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Adbusters, Adbusters, July 13, 2011; accessed September 30, 2011
  14. ^ Saba, Michael (September 17, 2011). "Twitter #occupywallstreet movement aims to mimic Iran". CNN tech. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  15. ^ [Barack Obama, Louis Farrakhan], Anonymous (2011-09-17). An Anonymous Message Concerning #occupywallstreet (Internet video). user TheAnonMessage via YouTube.
  16. ^ Adbusters (23 August 2011). "Anonymous Joins #OCCUPYWALLSTREET "Wall Street, Expect Us!" says video communique". Adbusters. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  17. ^ Anonopss (30 August 2011). "Occupy Wall Street - Sep17". Youtube. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  18. ^ Jake Zamansky (2011-09-17). "September 17, 2011 - Jake Zamansky". Forbes. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  19. ^ a b "Beyond Wall Street: 'Occupy' protests go global". CNN. October 7, 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  20. ^ 15th october: #United we will re-invent the world.
  21. ^ October 15th: Dreaming of a “new global citizen power”. Periodismo Humano (Human Journalism). By Juan Luis Sánchez. Translation by Blanca G. Bertolaza. Take The Square. From the article intro: "It does not intend to be just any other demonstration, but to spark off an international social movement. Part of the 15M movement admits to some fragmentation and places hopes of reunification on Saturday."
  22. ^ 'Indignant' protests to go global on Saturday. 15 October 2011. AFP via France 24. Article quote: "Protesters will take to the streets worldwide on Saturday, inspired by the 'Occupy Wall Street' and 'Indignants' movements, to vent their anger against alleged corporate greed and government cutbacks."
  23. ^ 'Indignant' protests across Asia. 15 October 2011. Bangkok Post. Article quote: "Protesters across the Asia-Pacific region Saturday joined worldwide demonstrations inspired by the 'Occupy Wall Street' and 'Indignants' movements."
  24. ^ Occupy Canada rallies spread in economic 'awakening'
  25. ^ This is what democracy looks like: Occupying Wall Street and Bay Street
  26. ^ "Occupy(ed) Canada". Facebook. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  27. ^ fluidity's blog. "Occupy or Decolonize?". Evolver.net. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  28. ^ "Come previsto". Il Fatto Quotidiano. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  29. ^ "Rome descends into chaos as protests turn violent". RT. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  30. ^ "In altre città iniziative pacifiche". ANSA. 15 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g "BBC News - Rome counts cost of violence after global protests". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  32. ^ "Anarchists Hijack Rome Protests". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 11-15-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  33. ^ "Dozens injured in Rome as 'Occupy' movement swells - World - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  34. ^ Protesters march through capital, Belfast Telegraph, 15 October 2011.
  35. ^ Movement spreads to Galway's Eyre Square, The Irish Times, 17 October 2011.
  36. ^ "Occupy London: Protest continues for second day". BBC News Online. London. 16 October 2011.
  37. ^ "Occupy Wall Street protests come to London". The Guardian. Press Association. 2011-10-12. Retrieved October 12, 2011. Protests against the global financial system which have seen huge demonstrations in New York's Wall Street will spread to the City of London this weekend. ...] the so-called OccupyLSX [...] We stand in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, protesters in Spain, Greece and the Middle East who started this movement.
  38. ^ "Occupy London Stock Exchange attracts 9,000 followers on Facebook". Metro. 2011-10-12. Retrieved October 12, 2011. A group called Occupy London Stock Exchange said a Facebook page about the protests had attracted more than 9,000 followers with more than 3,500 confirmed attendees. Campaigning organisations, including direct action group UK Uncut, confirmed they will support the action in the heart of the capital's financial centre on Saturday.
  39. ^ a b "Anti-corporate protests to hit London". The Sydney Morning Herald. AFP. 2011-10-12. Retrieved October 12, 2011. Protests against corporate power that have taken hold in the US are to hit Britain on Saturday with a rally in front of the London Stock Exchange. Occupy London Stock Exchange (OccupyLSX) [...] is backed by British anti-austerity group UK Uncut, the London-based Assembly of the Spanish 15M movement and the People's Assemblies Network Global Day of Action.
  40. ^ a b c Davies, Caroline (16 October 2011). "Occupy London protest continues into second day". The Guardian. London.
  41. ^ "Stock exchange occupation blocked". WalesOnline. Wales. 15 October 2011.
  42. ^ 18/10/2011. "Occupy Nottingham - Nottingham Culture". Leftlion.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-19. {{cite web}}: |author= has numeric name (help)
  43. ^ "Occupy Bristol activists set up camp". The Guardian. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  44. ^ a b Joanna Walters in Seattle. "Occupy America: protests against Wall Street and inequality hit 70 cities | World news | The Observer". Guardian. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  45. ^ "'Occupy Dallas'". Star Telegram. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  46. ^ "'Occupy' Movement Comes to Dallas". NBC DFW. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  47. ^ "Dallas Yanks Occupy Dallas Agreement". MSNBC. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  48. ^ "Occupy Dallas Volunteer Page". occupydallas.org. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  49. ^ "'Occupy Dallas' brings national protest to DFW". Dallas Business Journal. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  50. ^ "OccupyDallas GA votes 47-21 to move to City Hall Park". Occupy Dallas. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  51. ^ North Texas (2011-10-13). "KERA: City Offers New Location To Occupy Dallas (2011-10-13)". Publicbroadcasting.net. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  52. ^ "OccupySeattle". OccupySeattle. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  53. ^ "'Occupy Seattle' members gather downtown". King 5. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  54. ^ "Occupy Seattle protests corporate America". The Seattle Times. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  55. ^ Emily Heffter; Brian M. Rosenthal (October 15, 2011). "Protest swells at Westlake Park on Saturday". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  56. ^ "CallAConvention.org". CallAConvention.org. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
  57. ^ Conference on the Constitutional Convention, Harvard University, September 24-5, 2011
  58. ^ Lessig, L. (2011) Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress – and a Plan to Stop It (New York City: Hachette/Twelve) excerpt
  59. ^ Tackett, C. (October 19, 2011) "Could #OccupyWallStreet Become a Constitutional Convention?" Discovery / TreeHugger.com
  60. ^ Froomkin, D. (October 5, 2011) "Lawrence Lessig's New Book On Political Corruption Offers Protesters A Possible Manifesto" Huffington Post
  61. ^ Hill, A. (October 4, 2011) "Campaign finance, lobbying major roadblocks to effective government" Marketplace Morning Report (American Public Media)
  62. ^ Lessig, L. (2011) "Propose Amendments to the Constitution" convention.idea.informer.com
  63. ^ Ratigan, D. (2011) "It's Time to GET MONEY OUT of politics" GetMoneyOut.com
  64. ^ Auerbach, K. (2011) "Proposed Amendment to the United States Constitution To Redress the Increasing Distortion of Elections and Political Speech by Corporations and Other Aggregate Forms" cavebear.com/amendment
  65. ^ Shane, P.M. (October 11, 2011) "Occupy the Constitution" Huffington Post
  66. ^ Occupy Wall Street protests a warning: PM
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