London

Why Occupy Democracy In London Again?

November 24, 2014 Maya Oppenheim, www.newstatesman.com Resist! London, Occupy Democracy, United Kingdom (UK)

Part of the global Occupy movement, Occupy Democracy campaigns against corporate corruption, austerity and privatisation. The occupation drew a diverse crowd, including a number of “Occupy virgins”, students and of course the usual die-hard activist folk. Asad Khan, a women's wear fashion-designer was not your usual suspect. Incensed by what he saw as the police brutality of last month’s Occupy protest, Khan was at home when he came across a YouTube video of the occupation. “I saw a video of the police dragging people off parliament square for simply sitting down, I thought it was absurd and grotesque so I came down to see what was going on straight away”.

London Police & Occupy Activists Conflict Over Democracy Encampment

November 23, 2014 Resist! Democracy, London, Occupy

Occupy London activists defied police warnings and gathered in central London on Friday to set up camp outside parliament. Demonstrators converged on Parliament Square despite being told by Scotland Yard that they are banned from putting up tents or sleeping overnight by the landmark. About 100 demonstrators formed a blockade in the road around the square, unveiling banners reading “real democracy now” and chanting “the police should be helping us”. Long tailbacks formed along Whitehall as motorists sounded their horns, while scuffles broke out between protesters and police as the demonstration moved towards Downing Street. Author Donnachadh McCarthy, 55, said: “It’s outrageous that in Parliament Square free speech is being suppressed by Boris Johnson’s officers. If you don’t have free speech in front of parliament, you don’t have free speech.” After marching back down Whitehall toward the square, protesters were met by a police blockade and gathered near the Nelson Mandela statue, playing Free Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA. Nearby, around 80 activists gathered outside the supreme court.

Parliament Square Protest Law Is Too Restrictive

October 30, 2014 Various, www.theguardian.com Resist! Democracy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Law, London, Occupy, police brutality

The appalling treatment of protesters occupying Parliament Square last week (Occupy protesters forced to hand over pizza boxes and tarpaulin, 24 October, theguardian.com) calls for an urgent review of current legislation governing protest there. For 10 days, until Sunday, Occupy Democracy campaigners hosted a daily programme of assemblies and workshops outside parliament to address what they say is “a huge democratic deficit” in Britain today. Using the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (PRSRA), which bans any “structure designed for staying” along with any “amplified sound”, police responded by kettling protesters and confiscating a wide range of items including umbrellas and sleeping bags which protesters were using to keep dry and warm.

Occupy Democracy Not Considered Newsworthy, It Should Be

October 28, 2014 David Graeber, www.theguardian.com Resist! Corporatism, Democracy, Journalism, London, Media, Occupy

You can tell a lot about the moral quality of a society by what is, and is not, considered news. Occupy Democracy, a new incarnation of Occupy London, has attempted to use the space for an experiment in democratic organising. The idea was to turn Parliament Square back to the purposes to which it was, by most accounts, originally created: a place for public meetings and discussions, with an eye to bringing all the issues ignored by politicians in Westminster back into public debate. Seminars and assemblies were planned, colourful bamboo towers and sound systems put in place, to be followed by a temporary library, kitchen and toilets. One could speak of many things here: the obvious embarrassment of the police, compared with the perseverance and cheerful good humour of the occupiers, who continually grew in numbers and spirit as the repression increased. But what I really want to talk about is the reaction of the media.

Occupy Democracy Brings London A Blast From Its Past

October 27, 2014 Kate Aronoff, www.wagingnonviolence.org Resist! Democracy, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, London, Occupy Central

Inspired partially by Occupy Central in Hong Kong, London’s newly formed Occupy Democracy is being called a revival of Occupy London, which for a brief time in 2011 served as a major center of the global Occupy movement. The new occupation began shortly after an 80,000-person march organized by the country’s Trade Union Congress, though it has not been involved with Occupy Democracy in any official capacity. According to organizer Phil England, the idea for the occupation came in March, when a general assembly of Occupy London decided to embark on “a campaign for real democracy [in the United Kingdom].” Demonstrators have been camping out since October 17, and intend to stay until Sunday. As in Hong Kong, organizers are looking to build a movement for truly representative democracy.

Green Politician Jenny Jones Arrested In Occupy London Protest

October 22, 2014 Robert Booth, www.theguardian.com Resist! Green party, London, police brutality

Police erected a 2 metre metal fence around much of Parliament Square on Tuesday and arrested 15 demonstrators including Green party peer Jenny Jones. Lady Jones, 64, chairwoman of the London assembly’s economy committee and deputy chair of its police and crime committee, was arrested for “obstructing police” as they moved in to break up the demonstration. She was “de-arrested” after giving details suitable for a summons.The politician could now face prosecution, Scotland Yard said. “The evidence in this case will be considered and a decision made whether to proceed with a prosecution,” a Met spokesperson said. Jones had been to see what was happening at the Occupy London protest on Tuesday morning after her office had been contacted by protesters complaining about heavy-handed police tactics.

Occupy London Pushes For Real Democracy

October 19, 2014 Rikki, www.indyrikki.wordpress.com Resist! Democracy, London, Occupy

Meanwhile, globally there is a movement growing that recognises the present system of central banking and corporate power is so out of all public and democratic control, so corrupt, and so destructive that it can’t be ‘changed’ but must be replaced. Although in the UK the movement appears to be small in numbers, it’s clear it has a growing resonance, and that more and more people are searching for a new paradigm. What is also clearer than ever after yesterday, is that those who hold power are deeply afraid of this movement. After the TUC march, Parliament Square was very busy, with no more than a couple of hundred ‘occupiers’ surrounded on all sides by as many or more police.

Protests Disrupt Property Fair In London

October 16, 2014 Oliver Wainwright, www.theguardian.com Resist! London, Property, Protests

It was billed as the ultimate “property marketplace”, a high-profile networking event for investors, developers and local authorities to broker big deals, but the first day of the Mipim conference in Olympia, west London ended in a police lockdown. Protesters forced organisers to close the gates and one conference delegate was arrested on suspicion of assault as tensions spilled over. “What they’re doing in there is a crime against the city,” said Sam Middleton, of the activist group Focus E15 Mums, as she hurled a dollop of mud at the windows of the exhibition centre while a 300-strong crowd chanted “homes for people not profit, housing for need not greed”.

Vancouver’s Pop-Up Shelters For Homeless

July 2, 2014 Jenna Kagel, www.mic.com Create! Homeless, London, Vancouver

Here's How Vancouver Responded to London's "Anti-Homeless Spikes": A Vancouver charity, RainCity Housing, is converting city benches into pop-up shelters for homeless people. And by giving homeless people in this rainy city some dry coverage and a place to rest, RainCity is putting London's anti-homeless spikes to shame. The company specializes in accommodation and support services for the homeless in Vancouver. They used designs that feature welcoming slogans on the bench backboard. During the daytime, the benches are places to wait for a bus or sit. At night, they convert into usable shelters where the backboard lifts up to provide shelter. The daytime city bench uses UV rays from sunlight, so the bench reads, "This is a bench." Then at night, glow-in-the-dark wording appears, saying, "This is a bedroom," and drives people to the RainCity website. Another bench installation reads, "Find shelter here," and when the bench's back support is raised up, it says, "Find a home here," providing the address of a RainCity shelter.

«1 2 3 4 5 »

Daily movement news and resources