By Andrew Williams
The Occupy movement, which has spread from Wall Street across the developed world, with a dynamic presence in London, marks a new wave of radicalisation in response to the global financial crisis. Its combination of radical forms of protest and a hegemonic political approach – for the 99 per cent – is a positive contribution to the opposition to austerity.
Across North America and Europe, governments are carrying out policies that hit the living standards of the majority of people, in order to increase profits and bail out failing banks. This is meeting an inevitable rise in discontent, but also a political fight over how this disaffection is expressed.
By Andrew Williams
Occupy London Stock Exchange (Occupy LSX), in just three weeks, has demonstrated it is an effective dynamic new movement, driving forward a progressive campaign opposing the current assault on the population’s living standards.
Several hundred people are participating and have set up tents for a continuous vigil at the heart of Britain’s principal financial centre. They are taking inspiration from the global movement that has been occupying public spaces in over 900 cities since the Wall Street protest started seven weeks ago.
We stand for progressive alternatives to making the majority pay for a crisis they did not create.
The Rally starts at 2pm and will be followed by a march to Parliament
Speakers include:
John Pilger
Bruce Kent
Seumas Milne – Guardian
Kate Hudson – Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
Josie Long – UK Uncut & award-winning comedian
Aaron Kiely, NUS Black Students’ Campaign
Weyman Bennett, Unite Against Fascism
Lindsey German, Stop the War Coalition
By Jane West
The US ‘Occupy Wall St’ protest – which itself marks the emergence of the first signs of a radicalisation in the US in response to the global economic crisis – inspired a global ‘Day of Rage’ last weekend (15th/16th October) focused on the world’s stock markets and financial systems, which saw protests in most of the advanced capitalist countries.
The Occupy Wall St protest itself began on 17th September under the slogan of ‘We are the 99 per cent’ – referring to the disparity between the 1 per cent that own 40 per cent of the wealth in America and the 99 per cent that share the rest.
On 15th October, the movement went global, with rallies of various sizes reported in 951 cities in 80 countries. The Guardian featured a world map showing the location of the main protests.
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