OWS wrapping the planet
All over the globe people are rising up and demanding their rights in a worldwide rally of discontent as protests inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement spread around the world on Saturday.
The website for the international movement says 951 cities in 87 countries have vowed to “Unite for Global Change” – the official slogan of the rally. “It’s time for us to unite. It’s time for them to listen. People of the world, rise up!” calls the site. And indeed, there is a lot to protest against in every part of the world. While social and economic inequality, corporate greed, poverty and hardship are key grievances in every country, each continent lends its own special flavor to the rallies. About 200 people have marched outside Tokyo Electric Power company, which operates the tsunami-hit Fukushima plant, showing their dissatisfaction over handling of the nuclear disaster. Their slogans also targeted a US-led free trade bloc that Japan is considering joining.
Around 300 people took to the streets of the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney. The country’s indigenous issues and government problems were among their grievances. In Manila, about 100 members of various groups under the Philippine left-wing umbrella group, Bayan, marched on the US Embassy, according to Associated Press. Amongst other things, demonstrators chanted "US troops, out now!" – a reference to the presence of hundreds of US soldiers involved in training Filipino troops.In South Korea, though, protesters stressed they are not rallying against their government but had come out entirely in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. While the situation in Asia is not catastrophic, recent financial reports suggest this part of the world is not immune to contagion from the deteriorating economic conditions in the West. And recession is very likely to hit Asia eventually.The protests have been embraced enthusiastically in Europe. Demonstrators are focusing on unemployment and austerity cuts imposed in exchange for EU and IMF bailouts.
Occupy UK
RT’s Ivor Bennett reports from London that protests there are passing off peacefully. Participants carrying bags of food, tents and sleeping bags have taken their protest to central London’s financial district where they will rally outside the Stock Exchange, the Bank of England and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The demonstrators have not been able to reach the site they intended to occupy as Paternoster Square has been sealed off by police and private security.The protests have been organized via pages on Facebook and Twitter which between them have picked up more than 15,000 followers.“Five thousand people have confirmed they are attending the event,” Spyro Van Leemnen, who is taking part in the protest, told RT.“This movement will grow and grow, as in the United States,” journalist and writer Afshin Rattansi also told RT.According to prominent activist Tim Mathews, “the whole point of the demonstration is to make people feel empowered, feel that they have a say in the way decisions are made.” “That’s a basic fundamental right and need in society today,” he told RT.As RT’s correspondent reports, people “are very serious” and they plan to stay here for a long time. “We are planning to stay here as long as it takes to see the government respond to people’s calls. Until we see some change really,” Van Leemnen said. He also said that what was happening on Wall Street had been very inspiring for people, especially in the UK. Ivor Bennet also reports that the current demonstrations in London are something different from the protests the city faced a few months ago.“This is a peaceful protest with a very clear message about the democratization of the global finance system. And as taxpayers continue to bail out banks, they are calling for banking executives to pay back their bonuses.”Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that “the mood of the protest has changed dramatically as riot police move in to kettle the demonstrators.” The paper quotes Mark Townsend, who tweeted: "St Paul's completely kettled. First arrests. Legal observers cannot access to ‘prevent breach of peace.’ Rapid mood change."The Press Association news agency cites a source in Scotland Yard as saying people have been arrested at the London protest for assaulting police officers.As RT’s Ivor Bennett reports, Julian Assange attempted to join up with the protesters but was unable to as a result of the police cordon. He would later address the demonstrators via the steps of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Earlier reports of Assange’s arrest proved unfounded, though he was briefly detained for refusing to take off a mask.Ivor Bennett also told RT that while addressing reporters, Assange lashed out at the banks, saying that a small minority of the rich are hiding their assets from the population. He went on to claim that London, one of the world’s main financial centers, was the biggest culprit.
Occupy Italy
In Rome, peaceful demonstration against the government’s economic policy descended into violent chaos when groups of angry protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and attacked shops.
The rally, which was inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street” movement, started at about 12.00 GMT and drew a crowd estimated at 200,000. The iconic Colosseum and Roman Forum were closed down, and four subway stations were shut as well, with 1,500 police officers patrolling the streets and police helicopters circling overhead. Protesters arrived in Rome on trains and an estimated 750 buses from some 80 provinces across Italy, organizers said, as quoted by the Focus news agency.
Occupy Belgium
Much of the anger about Europe's financial meltdown has been centered on Brussels, the political heart of the EU, and activists there are determined to make those in power listen.Protesters in Brussels are pitching tents in the city’s central park, to which they had marched from the European Parliament building. Authorities initially refused the grant access to the park, due to the absence of running water. They said it was illegal to live outside without proper sanitation facilities. The protesters, for their part, believed the ban to be an excuse to move them out. And as they have already been given permission to camp, those gathered plan to stay overnight. Protesters want to set up “an alternative parliament” – what they call “a people’s parliament” – unlike the one that serves the financial elite, RT’s Daniel Bushell reported from Brussels.The protest comes in the wake of the latest banking outrage, with the Belgian bank Dexia being bailed out by the government at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of 5,000 euro per head. People say they no longer want to pay for bankers’ mistakes.Activists broke widows at Dexia’s headquarters in Brussels and vandalized the building. Several people were arrested, Bushell reported. But the entire protest is proceeding peacefully. Protesters say they are “indignant” about the economic crisis. “It is more than just a protest against the entire elite system,” a protester from the Netherlands who gave his name as Damian told RT. “It is an active, proactive position of taking part in a movement which is offering something better. I think a lot can be achieved by this movement. I think we really have a potential to achieve something worldwide.”The event in Brussels has a strong international flavour, with people arriving from as far away as Spain. The event in Brussels has a strong international flavor, with people arriving from as far away as Spain. And the number of people is growing, Daniel Bushell reported.
Occupy Spain
In the Spanish capital, Madrid, protesters have been camped out for months in an attempt to persuade their government to find an alternative to austerity measures as a way of tackling the growing crisis. But as anger towards bankers and corporations grows around the world, the protests here are gaining momentum. People are planning to gather in the center of the capital on Saturday for a major demonstration which is expected to be one of the biggest in months, as RT's Irina Galushko reports from Madrid. With one of the highest unemployment rates in the Eurozone, people in this southern European country are angry about lack of opportunity and the government’s severe austerity program. Thousands of people in Spain literally have no hope of renting their own home. The most energetic section of the Spanish population – the youth – has been left without job opportunities, which is why they are taking to the streets now to make their voices heard. And it is not only the capital that is participating in the rallies – several dozen towns across the country are joining in too.
Occupy Israel
The echoes of this global movement have also been heard in Israel, where demonstrations and social protests have been going on for months now. And so their organizers had little trouble giving full backing to the global anti-austerity movement.Hundreds have joined protests in Tel Aviv and say they are ready to keep going until the government comes up with a specific and proper solution for the situation.The “Occupy Wall Street” slogan has been translated in Israel to “Occupy Rothschild Boulevard,” where demonstrators have already spent the last three months protesting against Israel’s socioeconomic policies.Recent months have seen the largest demonstrations in Israel in its 63-year history, with nearly 1 million people taking to the streets.
You can find the full list of cities and countries of Europe, the United States, South America, Asia and Africa joining the worldwide rally on the official website of the global movement http://15october.net/
