Occupy London Begins: On Saturday 15 Oct 2011 over 2000 protesters got here to St Paul’s Cathedral as part of a world-wide ‘Occupy’ protest “Impressed by Occupy Wall Road and the Arab Spring, and answering to the decision out made by the Spanish Plataforma ¡Democracia Actual YA! in Could 2011 for a World Day Of Motion” and Occupy London started.
Related protests have been happening in “Spain, Rome, New York, Portugal, Chile, Berlin,Brussels, Zageb, and lots of extra … impressed by the instance of Occupy Wall Road and the Arab Spring.”
Though folks from varied teams have been current, together with the Training Activists Community, Socialist Staff Celebration, Nameless, Proper to Work, UK Uncut, South London Solidarity Federation and there have been a number of well-known figures current who spoke together with Peter Tatchell and Julian Assange, the entire motion intentionally lacked total organisation with all selections being taken by Common Assemblies with the slogan ‘No Leaders, No Hierarchy’.
The occasion had truly come about from one such meeting on Sunday ninth October on the finish of the ‘Block the Bridge NHS Protest‘ when a ‘Common Meeting’ of a number of a whole bunch had come collectively on the north finish of Westminster Bridge to debate and endorse a deliberate occupation of the London Inventory Change space.
In response to this the Inventory Change obtained a Excessive Court docket injunction to forestall public entry to Paternoster Sq., one of many more and more massive areas which seem like public house within the metropolis however are literally now privately owned, though beforehand Paternoster Row was a public road and police have been current in pressure to implement this injunction.
A lot of the a number of thousand protesters have been intent on a completely peaceable protest, calling for a democratic revolution to “struggle for a brand new political and financial system that places folks, democracy and the setting earlier than revenue.” They noticed that “Our political elites have chosen to guard companies, monetary establishments and the wealthy on the expense of the bulk.“
After just a few brief speeches just a few hundred protesters, led by the banner of the Training Activist Community made and try and enter the sq. by way of Temple Bar, however police on foot and horses have been ready for them, and the comparatively slim entrance of the Bar, moved right here just a few years in the past, was designed to be simply defended.
They then made a tour across the block containing the Inventory Change however discovered the slim passages resulting in Paternoster Sq. closely defended by police. When lastly they discovered one with solely a skinny line of a skinny line of police, the protesters hesitated for lengthy sufficient for the police to deliver up reinforcements. It was most likely for one of the best as they might have instantly been simply kettled contained in the sq. had they received in.
Finally a Common Assembly started on the steps of St Paul’s. There have been just a few minor scuffles when police pushed protesters round, which may most likely have been prevented had police defined clearly that they solely meant to clear a path to clear a path into and out of the cathedral at one finish of the steps. A number of folks have been arrested then and later.
I made a decision to depart, because it actually appeared unlikely that something rather more would occur for a while. As I used to be leaving, police determined to dam Ludgate Hill, however together with a bunch of a number of hundred protesters I managed to get by way of their line because it was forming.
Police continued to clear protesters from the steps of St Paul’s and urging folks to depart the realm, however many arrange tents on the extent space of St Paul’s Churchyard and the occupation had begun – and was to stay in place till lastly eliminated on twenty eighth February 2012. You’ll be able to learn an important deal in regards to the occupation within the Occupy London web page which incorporates the varied statements agreed by consensus at Occupy London Common Assemblies. Sadly Wikipedia’s article on Occupy London is unusually poor and deceptive in regards to the occasions of fifteenth October.
Extra at Occupy London Stored Out Of Inventory Change
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Tags: a brand new political and financial system, anti-capitalist, austerity, cuts, Training Activist Community, monetary crash, monetary establishments, Common Meeting, common assembly, London, march, occupy london, OccupySLX, Paternoster Sq., peter Marshall, police, political elites, defend companies, protest, St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, inventory alternate, system change, we’re the 99%
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