UK Social Struggles Newswire Archive
Anarchist reportback and critique from Occupy Portland
09-10-2011 10:43
We attended the opening march for Occupy Portland because we are some angry-ass proles who really hate capitalism. Although Occupy Wall Street (and the various off-shoot occupations) have few official defined goals or positions, there is a general opposition to "corporate greed" and "corrupt politics". As anarchists, we seek to expose and destroy the roots of these problems - as long as capitalism and the state exist, there will be greedy corporations and corrupt politicians. Capitalism and the state cannot be reformed into something kinder, gentler, or more humane, it is exploitative by nature. We wished to push the discourse at Occupy Portland in a more radical, explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-state direction. So we attended the Occupy Portland opening march in full team colors with a big banner that read "NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP (A) NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN." Hey, we do have a sense of humor.
Beyond ninety-nine-percentism: Not being frightened of ‘revolution’
09-10-2011 08:18
One notable feature of Occupy Wall Street is its participants’ lack of hesitation in using the term ‘revolution’. Here comes the revolution! This is the first step of the revolution! Get up, get down, the revolution is in this town! You won’t stop our revolution! etcetera, etcetera. Distinguishing from these assertions of a revolution that has arrived, what does it really mean to envisage a revolution? And why should revolutionaries fear to act as well as talk, camp, and march?
Dear Occupiers: A Letter from Anarchists
09-10-2011 07:58
Starting with the occupation of a park next to Wall Street on September 17, a new movement is spreading across the country in which people gather in public spaces in protest against social inequalities. We’ll present a full analysis of this phenomenon here shortly; in the meantime, here’s an open letter to the occupation movement, engaging with some of the issues that have arisen thus far. Please forward this widely and print out versions to distribute at the “Occupy” events!
Dear Occupiers [online viewing version]
Dear Occupiers [print version]: A two-sided flier intended to be folded down the middle, longways.
Occupy LA: One Week Old and Going Strong
08-10-2011 16:55
#occupyLSX assembly at Block The Bridge
08-10-2011 14:54
Prominent Kurdish Activist Assassinated in Syria
08-10-2011 13:27
http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/4040.html
TUC March for the Alternative Manchester Oct 2011
08-10-2011 03:26
Unfortunately they were met by Dr TUC’s quack medicine wagon and patented Labour party elixir
Policing public order - the manual
07-10-2011 16:14
Dale Farm: Get Ready To Resist: skills and mischief at Camp Constant this weekend
07-10-2011 10:54
Latest court date for a decision on whether or not a judicial review will be held is set for Wednesday. The result could go either way and the threat of eviction is still very real. This weekend at Dale Farm we are holding two days of workshops and activities. This is a great time to come to Dale Farm and get a feeling for the current situation here and at the high court, share skills and learn some new ones and prepare us all better for possible eviction.Voices from #OccupyWallStreet
07-10-2011 07:54
While the slant of corporate media coverage of the Wall Street Occupation has focused on the general motivations behind the movement, often missed are the variety of personal perspectives, backgrounds and desires that brought this protest-city together. Here are some of the many voices that have combined their efforts to bring New York City the Wall Street live-in protest.
Local police forces are now little armies. Why?
07-10-2011 07:31
Occupy Britain - Join the 99% for positive change
06-10-2011 18:33
Here are a number of reasons why one might feel compelled to get involved in the Occupy Britain movement.
In 2008 the global recession was felt worldwide, and although the media reported ‘recovery’ there has not actually been one, in fact, what has held off the, what appears to be an inevitable global financial collapse thus far, is a process called ‘quantitive easing’ and the selling off of national institutions, such as the NHS, with job losses, redundancies, cuts to vital services, school closures, unreasonable welfare reforms, increase in the cost of living, banking institutions requiring bail outs, and the tax payer footing the bill and paying for the mistakes of others.
People are now recognising that there is a split in fairness and equality, we see bankers bonuses increasing, media tycoons controlling and withholding information that they should be reporting, in the public interest, systemic corruption of our police force, politicians and quite possibly our prime ministers, the introduction of, an ever increasing amount of legislation and statutes to further restrict our ability to speak out against them.
Occupy the London Stock Exchange
06-10-2011 12:41
Occupy the London Stock Exchange - World Revolution Day 15th OctoberSQUASH: This is where it starts getting lively
06-10-2011 12:38
[1] http://www.crisis.org.uk/news.php/302/true-plight-of-squatters-exposed-by-research
Police clamp down on young Cambridge arsonists
06-10-2011 12:32
An outbreak of wheelie bin fires in Cambridge has led to young arsonists facing action from police.Take action against companies profiting from workfare!
06-10-2011 10:12
1pm, Wed 19th October 2011 outside the annual Welfare to Work Conference at the Business Design Centre, Upper Street, Islington, N1 0HQThe 99 Percent Occupy Wall Street
06-10-2011 08:01
The entrapment and arrest of 700 peaceful Occupy Wall Street (OWS) activists on the Brooklyn Bridge has created a huge wave of support for their movement. The number of daytime occupants in Liberty Plaza doubled or tripled from 100 the week prior to 200-300 this past Monday and Tuesday. These people are the core who maintain the occupation of the plaza, making it possible for several hundreds and sometimes thousands to hold rallies in the late afternoon and participate in the open mic speakouts and General Assembly meetings in the evening.
Occupy Wall Street: A Reply to Skeptics
05-10-2011 16:12
On September 27th Lauren Ellis published an essay in Mother Jones Magazine entitled “Is #OccupyWallStreet Working?”
The essay argues that Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is not working because the movement has no clear message and is not demographically representative of those who are affected most by the current economic problems. While Ellis does raise important points about movement-messaging and political representation, she in no way tries to understand the internal logic and outward expression of OWS.
Ellis’ conclusions center around four main points: that OWS’s “kitchen sink approach” is a form of ineffective messaging; that the media’s focus on the police brutality distracts from OWS’s main message (or lack thereof); that the hacktavist collective Anonymous inhibits the OWS movement; and that the OWS participants are the “usual suspects” of “dreamers.” In what follows, I provide counter-arguments to each of Ellis’ points as an attempt to flesh-out some of the philosophies, practices, and communicative strategies of Occupy Wall Street. I want to note that I am not seeking to attack Lauren Ellis in any way. Instead, I am trying to demonstrate why her arguments—representative of many like-minded skeptics—are insufficiently substantiated.
'Occupy' Movement Scares US Ruling Class
05-10-2011 15:02
When the Euro suit does not fit (article about the Greek crisis)
05-10-2011 07:51