This event is NOT an Occupy London General Assembly and any claims made to the opposite are incorrect.

Occupy London is continuing its series of General Assemblies entitled “Creating Alternatives” this weekend.

The upcoming Occupy London General Assemblies this week are as follows. We hope to see you there.

Friday

Saturday

Tuesday

Soon enough people walked out favoring a non violent exit, after many hours the human figure in the tree climbed down. The bailiffs set up two lines of metal fencing around the pavement surrounding the area. Most stayed on the pavement watching the place be destroyed, then some to a grotty homeless shelter the council had liaised with, and some to a new site in Shoreditch Park.

However at 5am there were still about 6 people on the pavement outside, unwilling to leave their home with no appropiate alternative. The place is now being cleared and is caged up. Thanks to all those who support Occupy, and Finsbury Square. We tried to make a difference, at least we tried. If you can please come to Shoreditch Park, any and all donations welcome.

Finsbury Square eviction

The potential forceful eviction of the Occupy London Finsbury Square camp is expected to happen in the early hours in the next few days, with residents choosing to mark the eviction with peaceful resistance. The potential eviction follows Justice Hickinbottom ruling on Friday at the High Court that Islington Borough Council has the right to repossess the public space post Jubilee Bank Holiday.

Tom McCarthy, a resident at Finsbury Square said: “This camp makes a political statement about our society. Since Occupy opened the camp on 21 October, it has become a home and community for many homeless people, for whom the system has failed. In evicting this community, Islington Council – who have helped to re-home some people that have ticked certain boxes – are potentially leaving some people in a much worse position than they are already in. “We ask Islington Council to not go down the same route at the City of London Corporation – cleansing the City of homeless people is not the way forward. Helping to find real solutions is.”

Whatever happens in terms of the eviction, residents plan to continue occupying.

Pilgrimage for Justice starts Thursday 7 June – London to Canterbury

Starting, Thursday 7 June Occupy Faith, supported by Occupy London, faith groups and the Archbishop of Wales, will be undertaking a Pilgrimage for Justice. Walking from St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral, arriving on 19 June, with a diversity of people taking part sharing a clear concern for the common good, all are welcome to join them along the way, as they walk and camp. The Pilgrimage ends with a conference in Canterbury looking at the concerns raised along the way.

The group will meet at 12.30pm outside St Paul’s where a blessing will be given to the pilgrims before they set off. Events en route include dinner at a Sikh Gurdwara, a debate with local business leaders, a discussion with the Bishop of Rochester, and an interfaith service at Canterbury Cathedral. More details and route are available at the Occupy Faith website (http://www.occupyfaith.org.uk).

Tanya Paton from Occupy Faith commented: “While Occupy London may have been removed from certain spaces, the economic crisis remains; and the Pilgrimage for Justice illustrates that occupiers will find new ways of challenging and addressing inequalities.”

Occupy benefit album Folk the Banks album out now – Pay what you can afford

Emerging out of Occupy London, Occupation Records – a record label set up to benefit the Occupy movement – has released its first album - Folk the Banks - featuring Occupy supporting artists including Tom Morello, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Martha Wainwright, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Chumbawumba, Peggy Seeger, with iconic artwork by Jamie Reid – famed for the Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save the Queen album artwork. The Occupation Records label is an attempt to bring the ethos of Occupy into the music industry in a very practical way, to raise awareness of social and economic inequality as well as explore alternative ways of doing business ethically. As such, Folk the Banks is available from quality record stores in UK and online, with ‘Pay what you can afford’ digital downloads now available from the Occupation Records website (http://occupationrecords.com), plus CDs, vinyls, limited artwork prints and ethical T-shirts. [1] [2]

Carnival of Dirt to hit London – 15 June

As a response to 21 occupiers being arrested for a banner drop highlighting corporate greed at the offices of the FTSE’s highest paid CEO in November 2011 – Xstrata’s Mick Davis – members of Occupy London have joined up with an unprecedented coalition of activist groups across the world to address the criminal behaviour of mining and extraction corporations. [3] [4] This coalition vows to challenge the complicity of western countries in corporate abuses in the majority world and on 15 June, are planning the first ever Carnival of Dirt in London.

A carnival like no other, the day promises to be a spectacular day of remembrance, learning and celebration and an example of how the Global Spring is seeing activists from the minority and majority world joining together.

In the morning, people will gather at 11am by St Paul’s to sombrely mark the countless activists who have died in the majority world, while standing up to mining and extraction corporations. In the afternoon, a teach out and picnic will be held where individuals will be able to provide their own accounts of how destructive these industries are and experts in the industry will be able to give their views too. Speakers include majority world human rights activists, journalists, scientists and legal experts. The evening, meeting at Embankment at 6pm, will see a return to the 90s with a spectacular party organised by Reclaim The Streets veterans, where people will celebrate the fact that there is a rapidly growing global movement that is challenging the unjust, undemocratic, unsustainable corporatocracy that the world is currently held in the grips of.

Notes

[1] Folk the Banks album available on a Pay What You Can Afford basis a thttp://www.occupationrecords.com/. Folk the Banks flyer -http://www.occupationrecords.com/shop/flyer_folkthebanks-A4.jpg. Occupation Records on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/occupationrecords / twitter -https://twitter.com/#!/OccuRecords

[2] Occupation Records is a benefit record label raising funds for, and spreading the messages of the Occupy and related movements through the release of benefit albums, alongside merchandise and live events. The label is an attempt to bring the ethos of Occupy into the music industry in a very practical way. It is run under the ethos of Occupy. All the profits from the album are distributed to the global Occupy movement and related and allied movements. Decisions are made by consensus, all members are represented by a union, finances transparent and open, with distribution and manufacture being ethical and transparent. The label has also initiated community engagement projects such as most recently “School of Rockupy” were young people are joined with music artists to write, produce, record and distribute a track in one day getting their message out utilising the processes of Occupy. The next School  of Rockupy will be taking place in June 2012 – details of the first edition with Kate Nash can be found at http://schoolofrockupy.wordpress.com/. Members of the collective behind the label are also actively involved in Occupy London.

[3] N30, corporate greed, Xstrata and the right to protest http://occupylsx.org/?p=1755

[4] Website - http://www.carnivalofdirt.org; facebook -http://www.facebook.com/events/340301169371483/; twitter -https://twitter.com/#!/CarnivalofDirt. contributing to the day include members of Climate Justice Network, Congo United for Freedom, Congolese Youth Action Platform, Earth Angels, Free West Papua Campaign, Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links, No Tar Sands, Hands Off Somalia, Lumumba Coalition, Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme, Government of the Dead, London Mining Network, UK Uncut, Occupy London, Reclaim the Streets and more.  

The June edition of The Occupied Times is out this week, with a new format and the same dose of critical commentary and analysis our readers have come to expect.

The OT is switching to a magazine front-cover with illustrative artwork by returning artist Alex Charnley that depicts the havoc huge corporations are wreaking across the world. The theme is continued inside, with articles by Occupy London’s Corporations Working Group that focus on the unethical practices of multinational mining giants Xstrata and Glencore. The spread also provides the one piece of promotional material the OT has ever been keen to run: a poster promoting the Carnival of Dirt criminal corporatocracy protest scheduled to take place in London on June 15th.

This month’s news focuses on issues of concern to both Occupy and London communities, including the outcome of a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission regarding the media’s thermal imaging surveillance of occupiers last winter, a preview of next month’s ‘Pilgrimage for Justice’, fresh details on the eviction of the camp at St Paul’s, and an update on legal action against campers at Finsbury Square.

International features cover various forms of resistance around the world, from Venezuela’s Hip-hop rebels to the stirrings of revolutionary activity in Canada and a first-hand account from Blockupy Frankfurt.

The OT house spreads host pieces on tax and military spending, the danger of the post-Breivik far-right in Europe, and a dispatch from Occupy Wall Street by OT editor Michael Richmond.

This month’s Preoccupying is a bumper interview with Dan Hind, social theorist and author of Return of the Public. The interview covers topics that include the prospects and pitfalls of peoples’ assemblies and the rise of mental health problems in today’s society.

As a prelude to the summer’s most scandalous sporting event, we look towards the Olympics with an article that argues for civil disobedience against the Games, an interview with Richard Solly of Greenwash Gold, and the story of an occupier who gave up their ticket in favour of alternative plans to protest the event.

The issue closes with the return of the OT ‘anti’-horoscope, a corporate greed crossword and the second installment in our Tales from the Grind series recounting those moments of hilarity and absurdity from the world of our readers’ working lives.

Copies of OT14 will be distributed at events and within communities throughout June, as well as from the shelves of independent businesses across the capital. OT Stockists include: Housemans, Black Gull Books, Ray’s Jazz Cafe, Banner Repeater, 56a, The Cockpit and the London Review Bookshop

Follow the OT on Twitter at @OccupiedTimes and on Facebook at “The Occupied Times”.

Date: Friday, 25th May 2012

Location: Steps of St Paul’s Cathedral.

Weather: Very warm with a clear sky. Crescent moon.

Facilitator: Jonni

Minutes: John

Start: 7.05pm

Facilitator: [hand signals]

Announcement: Finsbury Square were in court. They have an adjournment for one week.

Obi: Haggerston was evicted today. Will announce new place soon.

Facilitator: Let’s get on to first proposal.

Matt: Ten legal observer jackets were purchased for £100. Have really helped in al recent actions.

Facilitator: Any clarifications? [no] Any objections? [no] Any stand asides? [no] Okay that reached consensus.

Next proposal…

Obi: It’s all about the livestream. [hands out paper] It’s about four pages. [explains request]

Peter: Is this a one-off, or the first of many requests?

Obi: [unclear]

Liz: Two or three separate groups doing livestream. Question about who has access….

Vica: So this means the picture quality will be better and it won’t be your own equipment?

Obi: Yes.

Anon: You could use a sponsume?

Harjeet: There’s a sponsume already.

Chris: I’ve watched livestream recordings which break up. I’ve watched other livestreams which don’t break up. So I’m not sure about the technicalities.

Obi: We don’t have same quality as television. Most are quite good. Some I’ve seen aren’t that good.

Harj: Livestream can be quite bad at times. How will access to equipment be controlled? Pedro says he doesn’t want money, but you say he’s in this.

Obi: I’m doing this for everybody. Pedro says he wants to run the site and raise the money. My position is that I’d rather have the money now. I’ll be the one taking care of it. It will be a circle of trust. Some people I do trust. If it gets damaged we will replace it. Don’t want it to just walk away.

Facilitator: Push for time, we’re a few minutes over. Did close the stack but one more…

Chris: Is it insurable?

Obi: Yes.

Facilitator: So let’s test for consensus. [repeats proposal] Total of £983. Temperature check… not warmest of temperature checks! Any objections? One… two…

Vica: Could do it without iPad?

Jack: Seems it could be developed further.

Facilitator: Temperature check on £604. Temperature check… [not warm] Any objects? [no] So that reached consensus….

[discussion between Facilitator and Anon]

Facilitator: Next proposal is for carnival of dirt.

Jack: [hands out information] Even called Carnical of Dirt. Not directly Occupy event, but supported by Corporations WG.

Facilitator: Clarifying questions?

Chris: Who organising it?

Jack: There’s about twenty or thirty groups. [lists names]

Steve M: Maybe we could get some stickers to go in the Occupied Times?

Jack: Sure.

Peter: Cost of event is £2000. Occupy is putting up 25% of cost.

Jack: Yes.

Facilitator: Let’s test for consensus. General temperature check. Bit of warmth…. Any objections?

Vica: So we’re talking about the full amount, £746.

Facilitator: Any objects? Three…

Comment: Say we cover some of it?

Peter: Problem that it’s not an Occupy event. Not sure why we’re putting in so much, curious about how much the others have been asked. Are we biggest?

Jack: No UKUncut and UK Mining Network.

Anon: We have short memories. We used to quibble about money going out to bands. You could run a camp for that money. How many lectures? Instead we’ll have one afternoon. We don’t know who we are collaborating with.

Chris: You are asking for a lot of money. Would it be possible to ask that this is an action coordinated by Occupy?

Facilitator: Over 10 minute mark. Would objection turn into blocks? Yes.

Peter: Counter proposal for half the money.

Vica: Can we try first for £496? That is, no travel expenses.

Facilitator: Any objections to £496? No, so that reached consensus. Next Anon.

Anon: Proposals from Finsbury Square. First for core running costs £370. Other part is £1200.

Harjeet: Have the receipts been provided? That was a condition of getting more money.

Anon: [various complaints]

Facilitator: So no receipts have been produced.

Peter: Why ask for money when toilets have been taken away?

[discussion about toilets]

Vica: Is there any money left from last week? There was some money allocated which wasn’t spent.

Anon: [complaints about finance team]

Facilitator: Let’s test for consensus… Temperature check… fairly warm. Any objections?

Julie: Counter proposal for giving half the money now.

Peter: I’m going to block the money for toilets.

Facilitator: So we have a block on the toilets, and a counter proposal for half the money from. Test for consensus on the £176, rest when receipts are received.

Peter: Block.

Facilitator: So £86, with £194 when receipts are received.

Obi: Toilets close between 10pm and 4am.

[further discussion]

Facilitator: So revised proposal£76 now. £194 when receipts are received. £94 when toilets are put back. Any objections? No. Any stand asides? Two. So that reached consensus. So the other half was £1500 plus £90 for new toilets. Any clarifying questions before we test for consensus?

[discussion about £1500]

Harj: What are people doing for their own welfare?

[further discussion about £1500]

Facilitator: Temperature check… few hands. Any objections? Five. Would any of the objections turn into blocks? Yes. Would anybody who is blocking have a counter proposal? Yes. There’s a counter proposal for £150 instead of $1500. Any objections? Yes. So that did not reach consensus.

So that’s all the finance proposals. We have some lighter proposals. Charlie?

On behalf of Charlie: Propose message of support to Occupy Bilderburg. Bilderburg annual conference is next week…. [reads message of support]

[minute taker takes a break...]

Facilitator: Test for consensus. Consensus reached.

[Facilitator changes to Liz so Jonni can present his proposal.]

Jonni: Request for all operators of various email addresses and press phone to declare themselves and their procedures, regardless of current level of use of these accounts.

Peter: Suggest you try to find out, and come back in three weeks.

Facilitator: Could create a proposal that broadens this out. We need to know this stuff.

Steve M: This is a really important concern.

Vica: Process needs to be included, and forms.

Facilitator: Temperature check… warm. Jonni does want to test for consensus. [repeats proposal with ammendment for process] Any objections? Yes.

Tom: How will list of names be published? Brought to GA?

Anon: Are you saying you do know some but not all? If so, why don’t you just change the password?

[laughs]

Jack: Not sure about the amendment about including process, which already has well published procedures.

Jonni: I’m happy to include process. It doesn’t make any difference.

Julie: It isn’t generally known how process works, so I would like to include process and finance.

Tom: Could we also add Twitter?

Jonni: We could do that.

Facilitator: So is everybody clear? Yes. Are there any objections? No, so that reached consensus.

[Facilitator changes back from Liz to Jonni]

Vica: Proposal to change working group assembly to be once per month, perhaps on a Saturday.

Faciliator: Any clarifications? Yes.

Julie: Do need time to report but also to challenge each other.

Facilitator: Any objections? No. Any stand asides? No. So that reached consensus. Next proposal is from Steve F.

Steve F: Next weekend there will be a big, political event. The Jubilee is next weekend. The Real Democracy WG decided we want to do something on that day. Wrong thing would be to do nothing. Right thing is to celebrate spirit of democracy. Proposal was to have a series of speakers. Somebody from City of London Cleaners, the NHS, Donnahugh McCarthy, Peter Tatchel, others…

Julie: Fun event. Walk across the river. Also there will be a teach-out about debt. We would like Occupy London to support it. Call

Facilitator: So event is week on Sunday. What is it called?

Julie: Occupy Democracy.

Facilitator: Any clarifications?

Jack: Might not be physically possible to move on that day.

Julie: We are going to request to do a march.

Steve F: Surely monarchy is inherently undemocratic.

Harjeet: How will the publicity be used?

Steve F: We can’t do this without Occupy London. It would work in the normal way.

Julie: We will work with Press WG.

Chris: Are there going to be flags?

Steve F: There are no flags in the proposal. Colours are mentioned.

Chris: Anything which identified Occupy with republicans will be very damaging to Occupy.

Obi: I agree with Chris. I’m not a republican. I’m not a monarchist either.

Steve F: There are lots of different republicanism. It just means you don’t believe in hereditary rule.

Julie: General aim is to have a debate about these issues.

Facilitator: Feel we are getting into a wider debate. Proposal is to have an event called Occupy Democracy, with speakers followed by procession. Temperature check: fairly warm. Any objections: Yes.

Tim: Not happy about it. I’m pro-democracy. To stage it on a day when for a lot of people… seems to be anti-the-day rather than pro-democracy.

Harj: I concur with Tim, actually.

Facilitator: Would any objections turn into blocks?

Tim: I think I would stand aside.
[discussion about use of Occupy name and cooperating with other groups]

Facilitator: We’ve been talking about this for 30 mins. Any objections? Yes.

Tim: I don’t like that march to Republic.

Harj: When I was in Info tent, most people were not anti-monarchy. Don’t want the march to Republic. Would be better to have just speakers, focus on teaching people about democracy.

Obi: Yes I agree, no march to Republic.

Tom: Give the general public more credit. There is more republican feeling out there.

Chris: I would prefer march to parliament or something.

Facilitator: Are proposers happy to accept not marching to Republic.

[discussion about content of press release]

Facilitator: Original proposal has been blocked. Revised proposal doesn’t include march to Republic. [Also all press releases will be done through Press WG. Also there will be no mention of Republic in any press release. Also Chris will be able to see the press release before it goes out.] Test for consensus… Any objections? No. Any stand asides? Yes.

So let’s the last proposal! Only two and a half hours! And it’s still lovely and warm.

Shoutout: 11am UKUncut, London Bridge, Parliament, Waterloo St. EEE group will be leaving from London Bridge.

Shoutout: May debrief on Sunday.

Shoutout: Do get in touch with OT if you have any events or anything else.

Shoutout: Counter Olympics group will walking on 28th July.

Shoutout: Process group is trying to build the General Assemblies. Want to have a series of discussion focussed on generating alternatives to the current system.

Facilitator: Thanks to everybody for coming. Thanks for John for doing the minutes. Thanks to Obi for doing the livestream. Thanks to all the proposers for their proposals.

Ends: 9.34pm

On the 22nd of May #OccupyOil will be holding a funeral procession for Dutch Shell Oil. In a turnaround we are calling for the end of Shell’s destructive behavior throughout the world, from the west coast of Ireland to the Niger Delta.

Many people have lost their lives resisting the behavior of this unethical company.
It time we said ‘Rest in Peace Shell’

Shell makes nearly £1.6m profits every hour, Help us say farewell to this 1% Company

St Paul’s Cathedral
Arrival 815am
The Shell Corpse will Leave at 845am.
Strict Dress code: BLACK
@OccupyOil www.occupyoil.co.uk
Bring Noise, Banners, black Umbrellas and more importantly yourselves

• Section 14 Order – indicating imminent public disorder, damage to property or serious disruption to the community – enforced on “questionable” grounds
• Failure by police to communicate with protestors, political policing, aggressive arrests, reckless use of police force – all captured on video
• Indications emerging that arrests targeted specific Occupy London supporters
• Bail conditions indicate crackdown on lawful protest activities ahead of the Olympics and Jubilee, reminiscent of the ‘pre-crime’ arrests around the Royal Wedding last year for which a Judicial Review will shortly be heard.

Police from virtually every borough inLondon- in addition to members of the Territorial Support Group – violently removed supporters of Occupy London who were merely sitting on the steps of the Royal Exchange Saturday 5 May. The arrests came after a day of “Meet the 1%” activities and marches throughout the city that were timed to coincide with an international day of action marked in over 380 cities worldwide. [1]

Tents had been laid at the Royal Exchange and the 350-strong gathering, including families, was entirely peaceful with a friendly fun atmosphere for the talks and music that were happening. The crowd was almost immediately surrounded by police, indicative of the general policing of the day when earlier atSt Paul’s there had been at least 700 protestors. A General Assembly was convened to discuss next steps; how long to stay by the Bank of England or continue with the “Meet the 1%” tour of the city. At just after 5pm, legal observers became aware that a Section 14 Order under the 1986 Public Order Act had been imposed by the most senior officer on the ground, Chief Inspector Hancock. [2]

Matthew Varnham, a legal observer for Occupy London, said: “A Section 14 should only be put in place when there is a serious risk of imminent public disorder, damage to property or serious disruption to the life of the community. Occupy London’s peaceful gathering near the Bank of England showed no potential for any of these outcomes, which would go against the principles of Occupy anyway. We are about engaging with the public in meaningful and creative ways. In any case, there is very little in the way of real community in that area; particularly on a Saturday when everything is closed.
“In instances such as this, the most senior officer on duty is required to explain how he reached his reasonable belief that action was necessary. When I spoke to Chief Inspector Hancock – and it took a while to engage him in conversation, by which most of the ‘warning period’ had elapsed – he confirmed that the Section 14 was being imposed on grounds that the assembly may result in serious disruption to the life of the community.  I reminded the Chief Inspector that people were doing something that is not only legitimate, but protected by human rights law. Nevertheless, he refused to explain how he reached his conclusion. Frankly, there was absolutely no immediate risk of disruption to the life of the community and the lack of lawful reasoning is questionable.”

Around 40 protestors opted to stay on after the 5.45pm deadline set for people to disperse, linking arms to form a human chain on the steps of the Royal Exchange. A police snatch squad in triangle formation moved in in waves, violently removing protesters one by one.  Many of those present captured these events on video.

Melanie Strickland, a supporter of Occupy London, said: “What occurred on the steps of the Royal Exchange was a shocking act of political policing. We were told that the senior officer had imposed restrictions on our assembly and that we were liable to arrest, but no officer could tell us how that section applied to us. From 6.40pm teams of police started snatching peaceful activists from the crowd, one by one. The police were aggressive, employing disproportionate and unlawful force. Women and men were assaulted as they sat linking arms on the steps in solidarity. Police attacked activists using techniques designed to inflict maximum pain without leaving marks.”

In all, 11 people were arrested. All have now been released from police custody with most on bail subject to stringent bail conditions including: keeping a distance of 100 metres from any Olympic venue, road or torch route; restrictions on entering the City of London at any time; plus the City of Westminster, Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead during any Jubilee or Olympic celebrations (without any notification of how to find out where events are happening).

The political policing of the day, the lack of adequate communication with protestors, disproportionate and unlawful force employed, plus the subsequent arrests which increasingly appear to have targeted specific individuals, highlight a crackdown on lawful protest activities ahead of the Olympics and Jubilee, reminiscent of the ‘pre-crime’ arrests around the Royal Wedding last year, for which a Judicial Review has been granted and will take place on the 28 May. [4]

Also coming up on Sunday 20 May, which will be worth attending is the Kettle Police Powers – Netpol Conference 2012, a conference exploring the impact of police powers on protest and communities. Are we seeing Total Policing or a Total Lockdown?(http://kettlepolicepowers.wordpress.com/)

Notes

[1] A map of international actions may be found at http://map.12m-15m.org/ For more information on May plans in London - http://may2012.occupylondon.org.uk/

[2] Chief Inspector Nick Hancock refuses to explain what constitutes his reasonable belief that the assembly poses an imminent risk of disruption to the life of the community - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOx4Nfu2e4A&sns=em

[3] Footage of arrests:

• i. Livestream footage – violent arrests occur at 01.00 and especially after 08.35 - http://bambuser.com/v/2638667
• ii. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJRRO0cSqWM
• iii. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4aG3P9CDM (Note that at 0.11 CP746 pinches the arrestee’s ear)
• iv. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jtLtT03wLk
• v. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkNtDm3iQGY
• vi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsM0SeK1Dzc
• vii. Someone in a tent is arrested while still being in the tent – the individual’s arm is visible – 1/2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp-Of4C8BF8; 2/2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzn3gQO5QYU
• viii. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkOTljMVg7I

[4] Judicial Review of Preemptive Royal Wedding Arrests http://pageantryandprecrime.wordpress.com/about

Location: The Royal Exchange, London

Date: 12 May 2012

Facilitator: Sam

Minutes: John

Weather: Beautiful warm sunshine.

Starts: 16:45 [following approximately one hour of speakers]

Facilitator: So it looks like this is a general assembly. It looks like we are occupying here. There are tents, there’s a general assembly, there’s even a bit of sunshine. How do people feel? Would you like to have a 30 minute break to dance to the Samba band, or shall we have more speakers? Or shall we break up into discussion groups? [assess views] Okay so let’s break into groups to discuss two things: how are we feeling about being here? and what do we want to do next?

Comment: How are these decisions being made? It seems like some people are controlling things.

Facilitator: Sorry, there were four, and five and six options. … Okay so let’s have open mike for a bit longer.

Comment: The toilets are over there!

Glyn: We need to have everybody’s voice heard. There are loads of people we haven’t heard from.

Technical Point: The toilets are closed!

Peter: My name’s Peter. Great to see all the new faces. We need help so please join in. Some people have been planning today for months. There are loads of great working groups. If you haven’t been involved before, please visit occupylondon.org.uk. We also meet on steps of St Paul’s at 2pm. One of most exciting thing I’ve ever been involved in. We also have a roving GA, starts at 6pm, we go somewhere else. I will be facilitating…

[Facilitator changes from Sam to Peter]

Facilitator: We will take contributions limited to 2 mins.

[shouts of "go on Charlie"]

Charlie: Police have said that if this meeting continues, in half an hour this assembly will be declared illegal.

[loud but incomprehensible police announcement starts...]

Comment: While injustice… [police announcement continues...] like the Tories…

Tammy: The police are talking some gobblygook. We can’t hear it over here.

Comment: We have worked hard at Finsbury Square, we have worked through the Winter. Now Spring is here, we have received eviction notice. So we need your support. We call for your support to keep things positive and help us through.

Comment: [can't hear because police notice continues]

Comment: When we occupied and were told to move we stayed. [police notice continues...]

Comment: I’m Catherine, … about Finsbury Square, it’s always good to leave a place in a better state than when you found it. There are several flower beds which could use your help. I don’t know about you but I’m a Buddhist. The Dalai Lama is visiting St Paul’s next week. Not sure what we can do about this, but we could try to do something because Occupy has also worked towards similar things as him.

Melanie: Desmond Tutu said that if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor*. Hold your ground! Have courage! We need to send a powerful message to the establishment! We want change! What a message would it be if we all got arrested. The bankers are the real criminals! The police should be on them! Have courage!

[*If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.]

Comment: Hello! Did anybody understand the police announcement. Apparently we are all supposed to disperse by 17:45 and without obstructing the highway….

Glyn: Don’t trust anything they say. They have an agenda. Stand true. Stand together. Look they have six riot vans, another two! If we want to stay we can stay.

Comment: On a slightly different note, climate caravan…. taking it round the country. Important to get Occupiers and Trade Unions…. We have the power and can use it, put forward positive solutions. We can run this world a lot better than them!

Facilitator: Anybody else like to come and speak?

[17:24]

Comment: United we stand divided we fall.

Comment: The announcement is not valid. Peaceful protest rules!

Comment: I’m Steve Biko. Hit the target. We are up against global free mason society. What happened to our money? Nobody has had to stand trial. Respect to Occupy! Hold it down!

Facilitator: We’ve turned the volume up. There’s an inaudible broadcast coming from the police van over here. We could break into small groups of 6-8 people to talk about the situation and what we want to do now.

Comment: Samba band!

Facilitator: So we’ll take temperature check on options…. [takes various temperature checks] Okay it’s the Samba Band for 15 mins. Over to the Samba band. … Where’s the Samba band?

[pause without Samba band]

[17:38]

Facilitator: So we have a proposal to do the Conga!

[collective da-da-da-da-da-daa-daa-da-daa-daa-daa ... repeats]

[Facilitator continues conga over the mic whilst two small conga snakes go around for a little while.]

Jamie: There’s another proposal, rather than getting squeezed in here, there’s stuff going on at the Tate, it’s a beautiful walk.

Facilitator: The police have announced they will move in very soon. There are two proposals. Either to stay here, or go to the Tate. Let’s take a temperature check. In favour for staying here? [loud support] In favour of moving to Tate [luke warm support]

Comment: [inaudible due to general noise]

Facilitator: [something about private property]

Comment: We were told at St Paul’s that we had to leave or we would get arrested. But we linked arms and the police went away. [loud chers] A few days ago I was at Paternoster Sq. we were arrested because there were only six people left. Situation calls for us to stand our ground.

Comment: If you sit down it will be harder for the police to move you. Really important that if you decide to stay, that you write down these numbers on your arms. These are the numbers you should call.

Comment: The polic have applied section 14 but have not explained what the serious disruption to the community is.

[17:52]

Tammy: The police have just told me that if I don’t leave they will put my children in care. [shouts of "boo" and "solidarity"]

[more attempts to establish legal situation]

[nice dub music plays]

Comment: Look at what they do in Syria. There are so many police here, look at all the money spent, just so we can have a chat!

[chants of shame on them]

[nice dub music continues]

Melanie: Just to say: have courage! We are a movement against social inequality and economic injustice. The police should represent the people. Stop representing the powerful! Occupiers, hold your ground!

[nice dub music continues]

[police cordon around assembly closes]

[arrests of people sitting in the assembly begin]

[like a bulldozer made of flesh and bones and heavy protective clothing, two police snatch squads are combined into a single lump of brutality and advance from around the corner. Welcomed in by the opening of the police cordon, it bulldozers into thinly clothed Occupiers peacefully sitting with linked arms on the front steps, before reversing out tugging or towing or marching or mauling away a chosen individual. They go back around the corner overpowering somebody as they go, taking her or him out of sight, preventing any proximity even for legal observers. And then after a while they throw a person in a van, have a little rest, and then keep returning to make these single arrests]

[rave starts up on other side of the road]

[traffic chaos ensues which requires police attention, some police lines abandoned with previously cleared areas filling up with people, rave continues, arrests appear to halt]

[long period of police inactivity]

[pop music, some dancing, anonymous uk return with flags to loud cheers]

[22.30: police suddenly depart, leaving Occupy protesters to go free of arrest]

[jubilation, banner holding, chanting "this is what democracy looks like"]

Ends: 22.35

[everybody congratulates everybody, people go for a drink whilst others stay to chat until after midnight]

[one police van remains which contains a small number of policemen]

[rubbish is collected by Occupiers]

[remaining policeman starts talking about wanting to go home to his unhappy wife who isn't returning his text messages, but he can't whilst people are still there, and also he doesn't get paid overtime]

[remaining people hang around for a bit and then leave]

International ‘Global Spring’ Assembly releases manifesto in preparation for mass world-wide protests this weekend

As hundreds of thousands of people around the world prepare to take to the streets this weekend as part of a global call for change, the International ‘Global Spring’ Assembly – an international and inter-movement assembly formed of supporters of Occupy, Take the Square and Latin American, African, Asian and Middle Eastern social movements – has released its first statement describing concrete suggestions for a ‘global change’. [1] [2] [3]

The statement – the Global May Manifesto - calls for systemic change in the global economy: the radical democratisation of international institutions like the IMF, BIS and UN; the replacement of the G8/20 with a democratic UN assembly; a system of global taxation on financial transactions; and for the abolition of tax havens. It does not represent the position of any local or city assembly; rather it is offered for their consideration.

International ‘Global Spring’ Assembly – Occupiers collaborating across borders

Endorsed by consensus on 4 May 2012 by the International Assembly, this statement has been in development since January 2012. It was a process that has seen thousands of people from six continents and hundreds of cities participating in the discussion and planning for the international days of protests this month – particularly focusing on the 1, 12, 15 and 18 May. These International Assembly meetings have been convened in bi-weekly assemblies, over an online VoIP platform (called Mumble, which enables mass conference calls and give the assembly its formal name – the International General Assembly on Mumble).

The process for developing this global manifesto - which is a work in progress – started by collecting statements from the different local and city assemblies, then merging these into a common statement. Individuals were then invited to make new proposals through a public website and a number of mailing lists that are used for international inter-movement communication.

Alvaro Rodriguez, 31, of the Indignados movement in Spain, who participated in the process of writing the statement, said: “This is the beginning of a new global process of bringing the opinions of many people around the world together. It represents the beginnings of a form of global democracy in its infancy which is direct and participatory – of the people, by the people and for the people. While the statement does not represent the position of local and city assemblies, the next step is to present it to assemblies around the world for consideration, discussion and revisions, as part of a dialogue of the ‘Global Spring’ movements taking place across six continents.”

Next steps for international coordination

Individuals around the world are invited to participate in this process of further developing this global manifesto through their local and city assemblies, through the facebook group [http://www.facebook.com/groups/international.15m/] and through the website [http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2012/05/may-12th-globalmay-statement].

Notes

[1] For a list of events world-wide on May 12th, see http://www.may12.net/

[2] The text of the Global May manifesto follows:

Global May Manifesto

The statement below does not speak, or claim to speak, on behalf of everyone in the Global Spring/Occupy/Take the Square movements. This is an attempt by some inside the movements to reconcile statements written and endorsed in the different assemblies around the world. The process of writing the statement was consensus based, open to all, and regularly announced on our international communications platforms, that are also open to all (e.g. the ‘squares’ mailing list, the weekly global roundtables and the ‘international’ facebook group). It was a long and difficult process, full of compromises. This statement is offered to peoples’ assemblies around the world for discussions, revisions and endorsements.

There will be a process of a global dialogue, and this statement is part of it, a work-in-progress. We do not make demands from governments, corporations or parliament members, which some of us see as illegitimate, unaccountable or corrupt. We speak to the people of the world, both inside and outside our movements. We want another world, and such a world is possible:

1. The economy must be put to the service of people’s welfare, and to support and serve the environment, not private profit. We want a system where labour is appreciated by its social utility, not its financial or commercial profit. Therefore, we demand:

2. To achieve these objectives, we believe that the economy should be run democratically at all levels, from local to global. People must get democratic control over financial institutions, transnational corporations and their lobbies. To this end, we demand:

3. We believe that political systems must be fully democratic. We therefore demand full democratization of international institutions, and the elimination of the veto power of a few governments. We want a political system which really represents the variety and diversity of our societies:

This is a worldwide Global Spring. We will be there in May 2012; we will fight until we win. We will not stop being people. We are not numbers. We are free women and men.

For a Global Spring!

For global democracy and social justice!

Take to the streets on May 2012!