Forum Post: WSWS: The shutdown of Occupy Wall Street, a blatant violation of basic democratic rights

World Socialist Web Site Perspective:

The shutdown of Occupy Wall Street

The Socialist Equality Party condemns the move by New York's multi-billionaire mayor, Michael Bloomberg, to forcefully shut down the occupation of Zuccotti Park in Manhattan early Tuesday.

The police raid is a blatant violation of basic democratic rights, including freedom of speech and assembly. The reasons for clearing out the protesters cited by Bloomberg, and parroted by the media and the entire political establishment, are nothing more than flimsy pretexts.

The American ruling class is once again demonstrating that it will not tolerate any opposition to its interests. The attack on the Occupy protesters makes clear that the defense of democratic rights is incompatible with the enormous levels of social inequality that sparked the Occupy movement itself.

The military-style police action in New York, involving hundreds of officers, was carefully coordinated with similar actions throughout the country. The mayors of major US cities, both Democrats and Republicans, have held meetings and conference calls to work out the best way to strangle the protests.

In the past week alone, police raids have been carried out in Portland, Oregon; Oakland and Berkeley, California; Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri and a number of other cities. Behind the scenes, local administrations were advised by the FBI and Obama's Department of Homeland Security.

The raids have involved an overwhelming mobilization of police, decked out in riot gear, employing tear gas and batons—or worse—against unarmed demonstrators. Since the movement began in Manhattan two months ago today, nearly 4,000 people have been arrested. Several of those arrested Tuesday morning are still being detained and have yet to be charged.

Through its own actions, the ruling class is demonstrating to millions of people that the state is not a neutral arbiter. It is their state, staffed by their political representatives. The interests and needs of the majority of the population have absolutely no effect on the course of government policy.

Read the rest of the Perspective at http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/nov2011/pers-n17.shtml