In yesterday’s edition of the Independent, Tom Hodgkinson wrote a positive and thoughtful review of his experiences at the Occupy London Stock Exchange camp, and came to the conclusion that the Occupy protest was a fundamentally Christian one.

While it is easy to see how one might come to this conclusion, one must ask, does Christianity have the right to hold sole claim to morality in this way? Does any religion, in fact, have this right? Are we really in a society that has become so blinkered by our own cultural preconceptions and stereotypes, that we can no longer tell the difference between religion and morality? A society that believes that people are moral because of who they are, and not because of what they do?

Many people have struggled to put a simple definition or label on what the Occupy movement is all about. The reason for this is because the definition is not simple. There is not a single term that can define the Occupy movement that doesn’t ultimately end up alienating some aspect of the movement. The movement is made up of diverse individuals concerned about a lot of complex issues, which ultimately come back to one simple thing. It’s about people. The Occupy movement is about humanity.

When people like Tom Hodgkinson use phrases like “fundamentally Christian” to describe the Occupy movement, regardless of their intent, they often forget to take into account all the people that are being excluded by such a phrase. What about those of other faiths, such as Muslims, Hindus, and Pagans, amongst the many different diverse faiths that are present in the UK. What about non-religious supporters, be the hard-line Atheists, or simply Humanists or Existentialists?

Evidence shows that there is in fact a diverse cross-section of faith within the Occupy movement, and it is only because of the local issues with St. Paul’s that Anglicanism has reached such high profile within the Occupy London Stock Exchange protest itself. Far from being “fundamentally Christian” or even “fundamentally religious” the focus of the Occupy movement is on something much more meaningful that few people have a hard time arguing with, and therefore are wanting to spend more time trying to hide under as many different labels as they possibly can.

The Occupy protest is a fundamentally moral protest.

On Tuesday night, the London Central Branch of the National Union of Journalists passed several motions of solidarity with speakers in advance of yesterday’s Student Demonstrations, and the upcoming strikes with the NUT, PCS, and UCU on the 30th November.

Meeting with speakers from the Occupy London Stock Exchange in a special solidarity meeting, the NUJ passed the two motions of solidarity as follows:

Motion One

“London Central Branch expresses its solidarity with the Occupy movement, with those demonstrating tomorrow (9 November), all those taking strike action on 30 November and with those balloting for action at the BBC. This branch notes the motion passed at the NEC last month that sought to remind “newspaper, radio and TV editors of their responsibility to report the November 30th day of strike action fairly.”  This branch agrees that Fox News-style coverage is not acceptable in Britain.

“This branch calls on all of its members to ensure that their own work covers the strike and any associated demonstrations fairly and accurately.”

Motion Two

“London Central Branch congratulates Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) on the success of their first national conference on Saturday, 29 October. This Branch supports DPAC’s campaign for rights, not charity, for people with disabilities.

“This Branch condemns attacks on disabled people in some parts of the UK media and calls for fair and accurate coverage of the issues faced by disabled people as the government cuts services and benefits.”

The Occupy London Stock Exchange is thankful for the motions of solidarity by our brothers and sisters in the NUJ, and are greatful for their continued support of our campaign and our efforts, as well as their support for the many other worthwhile causes and messages that need to be heard in these hard economic times, particularly those of the students in yesterday’s protests that would otherwise have been likely to have been misrepresented in the media, and those that are likely to be subject to the same treatment in upcoming actions, including the strikes on November 30th.

Only together, united, can we affect the change necessary to fix the ills of this nation and this world. We are all the 99%, and we need to stand in solidarity and work together to achieve our goals.