Nottingham’s Market Square was occupied yesterday by a gathering of people aiming to "people aiming “to show that we will no longer tolerate the corporate greed and Government corruption that threatens our way of life and everything we work for”. They camped overnight and are intending to stay as long as they can. The occupation is part of a worldwide movement of occupations that began on 15th Oct. The occupation showed solidarity with youths from the Jarrow March 2011 who rallied in Nottingham yesterday as part of their journey to London to demand decent employment.

Newswire: Occupation of Market Square continues ... All’s well | Indymedia contributer on the box | Occupy Nottingham | Jarrow March 2011 comes to Nottingham | Occupation of Market Sq, now underway in Nottingham | 24 hour occupation of Nottingham Market Square

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Jarrow March

The Jarrow March 2011, which is marching from Jarrow in the North East to London to raise awareness of youth unemployment, arrived in Nottingham today. Marchers and supporters assembled on the Forest Rec at 12.30 and marched to the Market Square where a rally was held. It is the 75th anniversary of the original Jarrow Crusade, which an attempt to raise awareness of the intense poverty and unemployment in the North East. The marchers are demanding a number of major policy changes by the government to improve the lives of young people and give them a better future.

It was inspiring to see people so young speaking passionately and confidently about the changes they want to see in society and taking action to spread the word around the country. I spoke to 17-year old marcher Lizzie Graham from Gateshead, whose great-grandfather was one of the original Jarrow marchers in 1936. She said they’d had a really good response from people along the route of the march, including in Notts, adding “It just shows that this system of capitalism isn’t working”. “We want to do something from this”, she concluded, “We don’t want to just sit on the dole looking for a job.”

Occupy Nottingham

The good weather has meant that the atmosphere has been great – people have been happy sitting in the square, having a drink and socialising. A lot of families were there this afternoon and kids have been having fun playing in the ‘real media’ box and making placards. It’s strange to see the square being used for social rather than commercial purposes – something we need to change in my opinion.

The relaxed atmosphere masks a deeper sense of frustration with the global capitalist system though. Speakers expressed their disgust with the lack of opportunities they find in recession and austerity hit Nottingham. One woman talked about how the council can’t keep open homeless hostels, Sure Start and meals on wheels but they can find money for wicker statues for the shopping centre. One man who couldn’t find work said “We are sick and tired of having no jobs, no chance of actually doing anything with our lives”. Many people emphasised the need to take direct action to get what we need. “We’ve got a right to be here” said one man “because we’ve asserted our right to be here.”

One of the participants I spoke to about why he was there said that he was protesting against “the utter injustices going on in the world today on every level”. He said he hoped to “start building a community, democratic-based process… where everybody has a valid opinion that counts.” “The monetary system is a joke that makes us all slaves…” he said. “It’s run, controlled and owned by the business corporations and the huge bankers and we don’t really have a say”. In conclusion “Capitalism sucks. We want to get rid of it.”