FAQ: All you need to know about Occupy Wall Street
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What is Occupy Wall Street?
Occupy Wall Street is an organised resistance movement, inspired by the Arab Revolution, especially that in Tunisia and Egypt.
Calling for an end to “blind capitalism” and financial woes, the objective is to restore democracy in America.
According to their Ocuupywallst.org, they “use a tool known as a “people’s assembly” to facilitate collective decision-making in an open, participatory and non-binding manner. They call theirs the NYC General Assembly and we welcome people from all colors, genders and beliefs to attend our daily assemblies.”
In the pic: Abigail Garrett, 6, of Hamden, Connecticut holds a sign during an Occupy New Haven march in New Haven, Connecticut October 15, 2011. Protests inspired by the grassroots `Occupy Wall Street` movement are planned for dozens of cities world-wide as part of a global day of action
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Who is the brain behind the movement?
The movement was born in the newsroom of a magazine called AdBusters, based in Vancouver, Canada. Led by editor and co-founder Kalle Lasn, the team at AdBusters put out a poster of a ballerina perched atop the Wall Street Bull, with people wearing gas masks, enveloped in heavy smoke in the background. The poster introduced the #OccupyWallStreet hash tag, calling people to assemble on September 17.
Adbusters, a Canadian non-profit organisation, says that OWS “is a people powered movement … with an encampment in the financial district of New York City. Inspired by the Egyptian Tahrir Square uprising, the revolution in Tunisia and the Spanish acampadas, we vow to end the monied corruption of our democracy.”
In the pic: Occupy Wall Street protesters demonstrate in Times Square, New York October 15, 2011. Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters rallied in New York`s Times Square on Saturday, buoyed by a global day of demonstrations in support of their monthlong campaign against corporate greed
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How did the movement start?
On September 17, men and women from all races, backgrounds, and beliefs, began gathering in New York for a non-violent protest. The protesters claimed to represent 99% of the world’s population, with the goal of ending the greed and corruption of the wealthiest 1% of America.
In the pic: A protester holds a sign during the `Occupy Toronto` march in the financial district in Toronto, October 15, 2011.
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How many people have supported the movement so far?
Till now, there have been around 14,085 people from 1,822 cities all over the world taking to the streets in support of the movement. The movement is rapidly spreading to parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
In the pic: Isis Martin, 5-years-old, and her father Justin Martin march through the streets of Seattle, Washington as part of the Occupy Seattle protest October 15, 2011. Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, protests on Saturday started in Asia and rippled through Europe back to the United States and Canada. Protesters fed up with economic inequality took to the streets in cities from Washington, Boston and Chicago to Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto
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Where do things stand now?
As of now, the movement is percolating world wide with people from all communities and countries demanding global change. October 15, the global day of action saw people taking the streets in places like Auckland, Johannesburg, Berlin, Tokyo, Athens, Seoul etc. The Liberty Square in Manhattan was occupied by demonstrators indefinitely. There were several arrested made in the US. The action is expected to get stronger in the coming weeks.
In the pic: Occupy Wall Street protesters demonstrate in Times Square, New York October 15, 2011. Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters rallied in New York`s Times Square on Saturday, buoyed by a global day of demonstrations in support of their monthlong campaign against corporate greed
Monday, Oct 17, 2011 on 17:00 IST
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