Dozens of people have been arrested in New York as thousands of anti-corporate greed protesters marched to the city's famous Times Square at the culmination of a day of global demonstrations inspired by the 'Occupy Wall Street" movement.
Police, some on horseback, packed 71 protesters in vans after they marched, while thousands of demonstrators mixed with tourists converged on the major commercial intersection, divided by police barriers.
The clashes took place at the corner of 46th Street and Seventh Avenue amid a heavy police presence after day-long marches that began in the Financial District.
Earlier, around 2,000 protesters marched through New York's financial district on Saturday afternoon, before moving on to Time Square.
The demonstrators in lower Manhattan banged drums and chanted "We got sold out, banks got bailed out," "All day, all week, occupy Wall Street," and "Hey hey, ho ho, corporate greed has got to go."
Protests were also held elsewhere in the United States and Canada, notably in Washington DC, the US capital.
Violence in Rome
Violence broke out in Rome as tens of thousands nicknamed "the indignant" marched in European cities in protest against capitalism and austerity measures.
Black smoke billowed into the air in the centre of the city as a small group of violent protesters broke away from the main demonstration. They smashed shop windows, set vehicles on fire and assaulted two news crews. Others burned Italian and EU flags.
"On October 15, people from all over the world will take to the streets and squares ... to initiate the global change we want," proclaimed the website United for #GlobalChange.
Assange addresses protesters
Meanwhile, in Berlin, around 4,000 people marched through the streets, with banners that urged the end of capitalism. Some marchers scuffled with police as they tried to get near the country's parliamentary buildings.
In Frankfurt, continental Europe's financial capital, about 5,000 people protested in front of the European Central Bank.
Outside London's iconic St Paul's cathedral, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spoke to about 500 demonstrators.
"The banking system in London is the recipient of corrupt money," he said, adding that WikiLeaks would launch a campaign against financial institutions in the coming months.
Scuffles broke out in the UK capital between police and protesters, who raised banners saying "Strike back!"; "No cuts!" and "Goldman Sachs is the work of the devil!"
In Paris, the French capital, about 1,000 protesters rallied in front of city hall, coinciding with a G-20 finance chief's meeting.
In the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, hundreds walked through the streets carrying pictures of Che Guevara and old communist flags that read "Death to capitalism, freedom to the people."
Another 500 people gathered to hear speakers denounce capitalism at a peaceful rally in downtown Stockholm, holding up red flags and banners that read "We are the 99 per cent" and "We refuse to pay for capitalism's crisis."
In Spain, where groups that have become known as the Indignant Movement have been holding "occupation" protest camps in cities and towns since May, marchers converged on Madrid's Puerta del Sol plaza on Saturday night.
Tens of thousands of Portuguese, angry at their government's handling of the economic crisis, also took to the streets of Lisbon. Other protests were staged in Geneva, Amsterdam, Athens, Brussels, Geneva and Zurich.
Authors sign online petition
A group of 100 prominent authors, including Salman Rushdie, Neil Gaiman and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelists Jennifer Egan and Michael Cunningham, signed an online petition declaring their support for "Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world."
Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, saw the day's first demonstration, when at least 1,000 people gathered at City Square.
In Sydney, about 2,000 protesters including representatives of Aboriginal groups, communists and trade unionists, protested in the city's central business district.
Demonstrations of various sizes took place in Asia, namely in Japan's Tokyo, the Philippines' Manila, Taiwan's Taipei, South Korea's Seoul and China's Hong Kong.
Despite heavy rains in Seoul, the South Korean capital, members of more than 30 civic groups congregated in the city's financial district.
In Manila, about 100 members of Bayan, an alliance of various left-wing groups in the Philippines, marched to the US embassy, waving banners that read: "Down with US imperialism" and "Philippines not for sale", broadcaster APTN reported.
In Hong Kong, more than 200 people gathered at Exchange Square Podium in the city’s central shopping and business district.
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Showing posts with label occupy chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label occupy chicago. Show all posts
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
There's something happening here.....
Tahrir Square in Cairo, Green Square in Tripoli, Syntagma Square in Athens and now Zuccotti Park in New York -- popular anger against entrenching power elites is spreading around the world.
Many have been intrigued by the Occupy Wall Street movement against financial inequality that started in a New York park and expanded across America from Tampa, Florida, to Portland, Oregon, and from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Hundreds of activists gathered a month ago in the Manhattan park two blocks from Wall Street to vent their anger at what they see as the excesses of New York financiers, whom they blame for the economic crisis that has struck countless ordinary Americans and reverberated across the global economy.
In the U.S. movement, Arab nations see echoes of this year's Arab Spring uprisings. Spaniards and Italians see parallels with Indignados (indignant) activists, while voices in Tehran and Beijing with their own anti-American agendas have even said this could portend the meltdown of the United States.
Inspired by the momentum of the U.S. movement, which started small but is now part of U.S. political debate, activists in London will gather to protest outside the London Stock Exchange on October 15 on the same day that Spanish groups will mass on Madrid's Puerta del Sol square in solidarity.
"American people are more and more following the path chosen by people in the Arab world," Iran's student news agency ISNA quoted senior Revolutionary Guards officer Masoud Jazayeri as saying. "America's domineering government will face uprisings similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt."
Chinese newspapers splashed news about Occupy Wall Street with editorials blaming the U.S. political system and denouncing the Western media for playing down the protests.
"The future of America stands at a crossroads. Presuming that effective measures to relieve the social mood and reconstruct justice cannot be found, it is not impossible that the Occupy Wall Street movement might be the final straw under which America collapses," said a commentary in the Global Times.
"This movement has uncovered a scar on American society, an iceberg of accumulated social conflicts has risen to the surface," said the commentary in the tabloid, which is owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily.
Many have been intrigued by the Occupy Wall Street movement against financial inequality that started in a New York park and expanded across America from Tampa, Florida, to Portland, Oregon, and from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Hundreds of activists gathered a month ago in the Manhattan park two blocks from Wall Street to vent their anger at what they see as the excesses of New York financiers, whom they blame for the economic crisis that has struck countless ordinary Americans and reverberated across the global economy.
In the U.S. movement, Arab nations see echoes of this year's Arab Spring uprisings. Spaniards and Italians see parallels with Indignados (indignant) activists, while voices in Tehran and Beijing with their own anti-American agendas have even said this could portend the meltdown of the United States.
Inspired by the momentum of the U.S. movement, which started small but is now part of U.S. political debate, activists in London will gather to protest outside the London Stock Exchange on October 15 on the same day that Spanish groups will mass on Madrid's Puerta del Sol square in solidarity.
"American people are more and more following the path chosen by people in the Arab world," Iran's student news agency ISNA quoted senior Revolutionary Guards officer Masoud Jazayeri as saying. "America's domineering government will face uprisings similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt."
Chinese newspapers splashed news about Occupy Wall Street with editorials blaming the U.S. political system and denouncing the Western media for playing down the protests.
"The future of America stands at a crossroads. Presuming that effective measures to relieve the social mood and reconstruct justice cannot be found, it is not impossible that the Occupy Wall Street movement might be the final straw under which America collapses," said a commentary in the Global Times.
"This movement has uncovered a scar on American society, an iceberg of accumulated social conflicts has risen to the surface," said the commentary in the tabloid, which is owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece, the People's Daily.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
government = not relevant to the majorities lives = revolution
“Occupy Wall Street” protesters are angry over the lack of employment prospects and government actions that are “not relevant to their lives,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
“I think they are angry that they don’t have jobs,” Pelosi told ABC News’ “This Week” program, scheduled for broadcast today. “There’s nothing that makes you angrier than not being able to provide for your family or understand what your prospects are for the future.”
Americans’ pessimism about the economy helped send President Barack Obama’s approval rating to 38 percent last week, the lowest of his presidency. The nation’s jobless rate, which has been at 9 percent or higher since April, remained at 9.1 percent last month.
The stagnant labor market has limited consumer spending, which grew at 0.7 percent last month, the smallest increase since the last three months of 2009. The European debt crisis threatens to trigger another recession.
The protesters’ message to the “establishment,” including Wall Street and politicians, is that “change has to happen,” Pelosi said on ABC. The U.S. government’s bailout of banks hasn’t made capital available to average citizens as expected, the California Democrat said.
Obama, a Democrat, has expressed empathy with the demonstrators while stopping short of endorsing their movement.
“Occupy Wall Street” began three weeks ago in Lower Manhattan and has spread to cities such as Washington and San Francisco.
“I think they are angry that they don’t have jobs,” Pelosi told ABC News’ “This Week” program, scheduled for broadcast today. “There’s nothing that makes you angrier than not being able to provide for your family or understand what your prospects are for the future.”
Americans’ pessimism about the economy helped send President Barack Obama’s approval rating to 38 percent last week, the lowest of his presidency. The nation’s jobless rate, which has been at 9 percent or higher since April, remained at 9.1 percent last month.
The stagnant labor market has limited consumer spending, which grew at 0.7 percent last month, the smallest increase since the last three months of 2009. The European debt crisis threatens to trigger another recession.
The protesters’ message to the “establishment,” including Wall Street and politicians, is that “change has to happen,” Pelosi said on ABC. The U.S. government’s bailout of banks hasn’t made capital available to average citizens as expected, the California Democrat said.
Obama, a Democrat, has expressed empathy with the demonstrators while stopping short of endorsing their movement.
“Occupy Wall Street” began three weeks ago in Lower Manhattan and has spread to cities such as Washington and San Francisco.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Resistance!!!
CHICAGO—The offshoot here of the anti-Wall Street protests in New York ran up against police resistance Wednesday and protesters dismantled their base outside this city's Federal Reserve Bank, but they vowed to maintain their presence on the corner indefinitely.
Occupy Chicago has been one of the largest spinoffs of the 19-day-old "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which stands against "greed and corruption" by the wealthiest 1% of the population.
Around the clock for nearly two weeks, dozens and sometimes hundreds of protesters have occupied a bustling corner here outside the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and the Chicago Board of Trade, building.
"We're here for justice — our sign says it all, and our sign says, 'Stop government crimes,'" said Chris Fogarty, as he stood with his wife, Mary O'Sullivan, on LaSalle Street. "And the other side says, 'Restore our laws.'"
Occupy Chicago has been one of the largest spinoffs of the 19-day-old "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which stands against "greed and corruption" by the wealthiest 1% of the population.
Around the clock for nearly two weeks, dozens and sometimes hundreds of protesters have occupied a bustling corner here outside the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and the Chicago Board of Trade, building.
"We're here for justice — our sign says it all, and our sign says, 'Stop government crimes,'" said Chris Fogarty, as he stood with his wife, Mary O'Sullivan, on LaSalle Street. "And the other side says, 'Restore our laws.'"
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