On the first anniversary of the Occupy London Stock Exchange camp just by St Paul’s Cathedral, Occupy London is pleased to announce the publication of its first book, which aims to demystify the financial world and provide possible solutions. Entitled ‘The Little Book of Ideas’, the free pocket sized book – written by the Economics Working Group of Occupy London – is now available for download and is also available in print, with a first run of 1,500 copies. [Editor's note: Though written in the context of the U.K., the concepts also apply in the U.S. and many other countries, as the systems described and words used are almost entirely the same here!]
The book was launched one year to the day when thousands of people came together to highlight social and economic injustice in the UK and beyond, as part of a global movement for real democracy. Yesterday’s announcement also follows Sunday’s successful action inside St Paul’s Cathedral, which saw four female protesters chain themselves to the pulpit to put pressure on the leadership of the Cathedral ‘to stop sitting on the fence and join the fight against rising inequality in the UK and beyond’.
The Global Solidarity Day for the Syrian People, 20th October, 2012
Appeal to all free people of the world: Let’s work together to stop daily massacres, arrests and displacements in Syria. Let’s work together to bring down the murderous Assad regime in Syria.
This is an appeal to all Syrian communities and to all free people around the world to organise processions and sit-ins in front of United Nations offices in all around the world . . .
. . . On this day, our aim is to mobilise international public opinion to support the Syrian people, who have been exposed to killing, arrest and displacement for ninteen months while the world has watched
On this day we want to express the Syrian people’s suffering and their disappointment with the silence of the Arab world and the international community and their failure to stop the daily massacres committed by the barbaric Assad Syrian regime.
On this day, let us all, each and every one in his or her position, work together with the representatives of international public opinion to put pressure on governments and the international community, to take an effective and constructive stand to stop and to bring down the killing machine that is Assad regime in Syria.
May God have mercy on our martyrs’ souls;
May we soon see our detainees freed;
May our wounded people be healed; and May victory be awarded to our revolution;
the revolution of freedom and dignity.
Long live Syria; free and dignified.
At around 10.30pm last night, having been threatened with arrest by the City of London Police, the four female activists who chained themselves to the pulpit of St Paul’s Cathedral, cut their chains and declared their action a success. Their aim was to put pressure on the leadership of St Paul’s Cathedral to stop sitting on the fence and join the fight against rising inequality in the UK and beyond.
Outside the Cathedral they made the following statement:
They have also said the following:
Siobhan Grimes, an Anglican aged 25 who works for an environmental charity, said:
“I chained myself to the pulpit in St Paul’s Cathedral in protest about women’s economic inequality. As a Christian, I know that my faith teaches through the example of Christ’s radical action to protect the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
“I was dragged from the steps of St Paul’s while I was praying during the eviction of the Occupy camp in February 2012, and since then Christianity Uncut, of which I’m a member, has been refused a meeting with St Paul’s to discuss what happened.
“During the action, we managed to speak with the Dean of St Paul’s about Christianity and economic inequality, the questionable investments held by the Church of England and the unethical corporations that sponsor St Paul’s Cathedral, including Goldman Sachs.
“We have been offered a further meeting with the Dean to speak about economic justice and faith. I really hope this meeting happens.”
Alison Playford, an actor and writer aged 33, said:
“Jesus was the most radial activist in history. Everyone has the potential to demonstrate the same compassion, vision and radicalism as Christ. We cannot allow this appalling government to destroy this country through austerity measures. We need a redistribution of wealth, not cuts.
“All factions of society must step up to the plate, as we have called on St Paul’s to do. We can make true change. With courage and tenacity, with radicalism, we can change the world.”
Josie Reid, a Quaker aged 52 who uses a wheelchair after an accident left her disabled, and who previously worked as a nurse and in conservation, said:
“Most people can see the huge injustice of making sick, disabled and needy people pay for a financial crisis that is not of their making. We are told that these are desperate times. We are told about a great debt, and that austerity must be the order of the day. Governments have had higher debts before, but never before have they inflicted such pain on the people.
“These cruel austerity measures are being forced upon us, because our governments no longer act in the interests of the people, they do only the bidding of the money lenders. Whilst the salaries of the banking and corporate elites increase by 45% a year, ordinary people have to stomach pay freezes and cuts.
“Time is running out, we all need to take a stand against this monstrous banking and corporate machine which is trashing the economy, destroying communities, making people homeless, wrecking people lives, killing indigenous people, polluting and plundering the earth.
“Jesus spoke truth to power. Jesus turned over the money changers’ tables in the temple. Jesus took radical action. It is time we followed his lead.”
Tammy Samede, a Christian mother of four aged 33, who has worked with homeless people in the past, said:
“We are glad that the Dean of St Paul’s has agreed to meet again. When speaking with him, we asked him to really consider what would Jesus do during these times.
“We look forward to continuing this discussion, which we sincerely hope leads to concrete action, from focusing on the corporate sponsors and trustees of St Paul’s Cathedral, to the Church taking a more vocal and visible approach to the ethics and morality of the actions of the City of London and the financial sector.
#globalNOISE is kicking off! A revolutionary coalition of social movements including Occupy, 15M, Real Democracy Now!, #YoSoy132, Blockupy, Strike Debt, and others are taking our collective indignation to the streets. We are banging pots and pans in hundreds of cities around the world in a massive show of global solidarity against debt, austerity, and neoliberal imperialism. Stay tuned for live international updates, but don't just read about it: get banging!
Updated:See here for comprehensive media reports for #GlobalNoise from around the world!
In 2008, many people throughout the world backed Obama. Some international polling reported over 85% of people across the globe backed his promises of “Change.”
Of course, the only “Change” to unfold was the continued expansion of the military industrial complex, privatization, deportation of migrants, austerity, resource depletion, and imperialist agendas. This lethal cocktail resulted in the further consolidation of vast wealth at the top of society. While Obama and Romney blatantly lie to the world in debates over the meaningless differences in their nearly-identical policies, the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and the methods of exterminating the poor are becoming ever more sophisticated and now, automated. Big banks continue to get bigger as they rig the system (see: LIBOR) while foreclosing on homes and earning vast profits at the expense of the rest of us. The disparity in wealth has proceeded at an even faster rate under Obama than ever before. His signature health care law is merely a handout to corporate interests that fails to protect the most vulnerable. With nearly 1,000 U.S. Military bases encircling the globe, it is not only those inside the 50 states weighing the potential ramifications of the outcome. Average people across the planet are stakeholders who will suffer its effects.
Thus, the highly topical #OccupyTheDebates online encampment of mainstream debate hashtags is a revolutionary social media action. It enables the international community to participate in the four-yearly spectacle first hand. No longer are we passively absorbing speeches on issues with pre-approved parameters; we are free to air our legitimate concerns and fears in the public domain. We are not constrained by pomp and circumstance, or blacked out by the conventional media who find themselves having to compete for the attention of what was once a captive audience.
