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!

Facilitation – Liz / Vica                                   Note taker – Jack

Proposals for consensus / discussion

1. Proposal for May Funding. – PASSED WITH AMMENDMENT

2. Request for travel expenses. – BLOCKED

3. Proposal to clarify objections, amendments, blocks. – DISCUSSED

4. Proposal for post-ratification of GAs. – DISCUSSED

5. Proposal to not hold an Occupy London GA on 12^th May. – PASSED WITH AMMENDMENT

Copies of the Safer Spaces Policy were handed out at the start of the assembly. The facilitation team explained that the assembly was going to abide by the policy. Should anyone breach the SSP, they would first be given a warning by the facilitation team (any attendee of the assembly can notify the facilitation team of SSP breaches). If the same individual breached SSP again, they would be asked to leave the assembly. If they refuse to physically leave, they are to take no further part in the decision making at that assembly. The assembly agreed to operate under this practice.

Proposal 1. Proposal for May Funding.

Request for funding for Occupy May 12th & 15th actions (submitted by Vica)

Breakdown

Posters: 150
Flyers and map for the day: £400
Stickers for targets: 150
Caution Occupy tape: 150

Total: £850

Clarification / Objections

Tom – How much tape will you be able to afford? Can I use some of it for actions?

Response – Lots of it! Of course you can use some.

Tim – How many maps to be produced? Why A3 and full colour?

Response – Exact Numbers not known, but at least a few hundred. Corpwatch gave us so much great information we felt we had to publicise it.

[discussion about formatting and design issues. Mention of ecological impact of document printing]

[Discussion surrounding an additional funding of £100 for use in more helium filled tents. Assembly agreed to test for consensus on initial amount then discuss the additional spending.]

TEST FOR CONSENSUS – CONSENSUS achieved – No Stand-asides.

£850 granted to Occupy May WG.

[discussion surrounding additional £100.]

TEST FOR CONSENSUS – CONSENSUS achieved – No Stand-asides.

£100 additional funding granted to Occupy May WG.

Proposal 2 - Request for travel expenses

Finance request – £216 travel expenses

Amount is to cover outstanding amount from £380 which was the cost of travelling to Edinburgh for outreach and joining post play panel discussion at Traverse Theatre after the play Demos partly about Occupy London (minutes from december meeting) Saskia John and Phil all went, John as co author, Saskia as panellist and Phil with suitcase full of OT’s to give away. I would have liked to submit a proposal beforehand but unfortunately by the time we found out about it and were confirmed free performance tickets there was less than a week before the event. Also there was no apparent process for finance at the time. Due to the short timing involoved we were unable to purchase advance tickets. Saskia paid for the tickets and the play writer offered some money to John to cover his expenses. John has kindly used his entire contribution to help to cover the outstanding amount. I do have tickets and can print out e receipt as proof of purchase. We felt this was an important outreach opportunity and felt our time in Scotland was well spent. For the record this is the first expenses I have ever applied for, having covered all my own costs to date including travel to Sheffield conference.

Clarification / Objections

Pete / Mel – This request seems a little out of nowhere. This trip wasn’t discussed a GA. It seems a fait accompli. It’s a bit too much with our current funds and there seems to be an assumption of reimbursement.

Tom – This is an egregious request.

Tiff – It was a personal choice to attend, no-one was asked to go by Occupy London.

Tim – Find this request uncomfortable. The Traverse Theatre should have paid.

TEST FOR CONSENSUS – Proposal BLOCKED – 2 People Block.

Proposal 3 – Proposal to clarify objections, amendments, blocks – Presented for discussion

Proposal to clarify what an objection an amendment or a block are when used in consensus

There is a need to distinguish between an objection which is specific to the proposal being made (and is subject to a consensus that can be modified from 100% to any lesser proportion eg 80/20%) and a block which is in effect a veto. A block should properly be used maybe only once in the time you are in a group if a proposal is made that is in conflict with the core statements of the group such that it would cause you to feel that you would have to leave the group if the proposal was accepted. These core statements would be publicly available ones – in our case the initial statement and those made by the WGs and also the SSP statements.(not some subjective view of what the group is)

When disagreements remain at the level of objections difficult situations can be managed by deciding on different levels of consensus. Blocks like vetos make a democratic situation undemocratic (like the UN)

Amendments should only be allowed if the change is quite small eg only one element in a proposal changed or only a change of 10-20% in financial request. This is a matter of judgement but the way amendments should be treated should err on the side of caution. If anybody expresses any doubt at all (ie one person should be sufficient for this to happen) then it should be re-proposed to give people the chance to re-assess the proposal.

DISCUSSION POINTS

There is no mention of a minimum size for an assembly, this would seem related to me. Should we discuss Quorums?

Blocks are not secure from agitators, destructive mindsets and Aps

Blocks are an important part of decision making. They should be considered the start of the next stage in the “life” of a proposal.

We should have more facilitation workshops to help people become more familiar with Process.

If more people don’t like the proposal, it’s not carried.

[postive discussion follows, group seems keen on the proposals points]

TEMPERATURE CHECK – To continue discussing and working on this proposal with Tim to return to a GA at a later stage. – VERY WARMLY RECEIVED

Proposal 4 – Proposal for post-ratification of GAs – Presented for discussion

GA decisions in meetings to be ratified the following week.

“All decisions and payments etc must be ratified by a GA a week later following the original proposal before  decisions or payments can be acted upon. (excepting in situations of  emergency such as evictions, imminent police action etc )”.

This would allow for the the process in the GA to be examined calmly to see if the procedure was correct via video and written minutes.

Statements can be looked at to see if they have  basis in fact (obviously there is room for differences I am referring here to gross  inaccuracies) This would encourage people to make more responsible  statements as they would know they would be subject to scrutiny.

There would be more time to gauge if a block was correctly made and if the meeting took place within the SSP guidelines. Amendments could be examined to see if it  did not distort or exceed the proposal beyond it  original intention.

New minutes could then be submitted, if necessary with suitable  addenda. These would be collated by the facilitators to the meeting on the basis of objections made (all objections to be made publicly  available before the GA ratifying the minutes).

These would then be submitted to the GA,with a different facilitator(s) which then would form the basis of the ratification so payments and  decisions could be carried out.

(This may only be considered necessary for GAs concerning finance.)

DISCUSSION POINTS

Speed up the ratification time-line. A week is too long to wait.

Could be useful for binary choice decisions, but less so for consensus on lengthy statements.

Consensus isn’t the only game in town

A smaller commission / council could be better suited for this ratification rather than a full GA.

Standard practice in organisational meetings to ratify the previous meetings minutes. There should be a deadline like this involved anyway.

Should the GA be making any decisions at all?

TEMPERATURE CHECK – To continue discussing and working on this proposal with Tim to return to a GA at a later stage. – MODERATELY WARMLY RECEIVED

Proposal 5 – Occupy London General Assembly to not take place on Sat 12^th May.

[ Discussion about merits of proposal, it's necessity so as not to coincide with M12 events. Some discussion about overall suitability of Saturday 2pm assemblies. Some discussion about trickiness of not communicating and someone turning up to put on quasi autonomous GA. ]

Proposal amended to read -

The Occupy London General Assembly will take place on Saturday 12^th May. However it will be themed around the M12 events and will only perform the function of providing discussion space. No proposals for consensus will be scheduled into this Assembly (They can instead be scheduled into Friday 11^th May GA or the next weekend)

TEST FOR CONSENSUS – CONSENSUS achieved – No Stand-asides.

On 12 May, the Occupy, indignados and take the squares movements all over the world have called for a global day of action.

In London we’ll be visiting the ’1%’, those who:

· gambled with our pensions and savings,
· created financial nonsense to make money out of thin air,
· brought the global economy to the brink of ruin and forced ordinary people to pay for their mess,
· paid hundreds of thousands to wine and dine with our ‘elected’ representatives,
· have taken more than £1tn in bailouts from the taxpayer and continue to pay themselves exorbitant bonuses,
· evaded billions in taxes,
· are benefiting by the crisis by grabbing fat privatisation contracts of our public services.

From banks and hedge funds to lobbyists and private equity firms, they’re all in the ‘Map of the 1%’ that has been produced by Occupy London and will be available on the day.

Nowhere in Europe is the unequal distribution of wealth as striking as in the UK. The richest 1,000 persons, just 0.005% of the adult population, increased their wealth by £155bn over the last three years. That is enough for themselves alone to pay off the entire budget deficit and still leave them with £30bn to spare. [1]

We’re all in this together’ never rang so hollow. Whilst the rest of the country is being crippled by war-time austerity, the very same people who caused the crisis are now sitting on wealth even greater than what they had before the crash.

Saturday will start with a teach-out at St. Paul’s at 1pm, organised by the Tent City University, the educational arm of Occupy London. It is aiming at promoting informed political action and exploring viable economic alternatives before we pay a visit to the City institutions that caused and continue to profit by the crisis.

The day will see citizens using peaceful, creative ways to deliver their own messages to the financial and corporate elite of the City.

We will continue to exercise our right to peacefully assemble in public spaces and develop the democratic processes to address the problems we face.

*** Stay in touch ***
- The rules of the game: From your phone text follow @occupymay to 86444 for free SMS notifications on the day.
- Join the Facebook event
- DONATE to help make it bigger, louder and bolder than ever
-Follow on Twitter and Facebook

• Supports Climate Justice Collective’s day of action against the Big 6 Energy companies today

Spring is here. The first of May has traditionally been a day in which workers express their solidarity and celebrate what they have gained through collective action. This year, May Day will be marked on a grand scale by the global Occupy movement as it rises into its second phase.

Almost a year ago, the indignados took possession of Spain’s great public squares; an act of defiant optimism in the face of pervasive hopelessness and profound cynicism about the capacity of established institutions to provide for a future worth living in.  This morning, supporters of Occupy London brought that unreasonable hope into a rainy London Tuesday, flooding Liverpool Street Station with thousands of flowers bearing the message “There is something better out there.”

Derived from a variety of sources and making good out of what would have otherwise been wasted, Occupy’s flowers weren’t limited to red roses.

Jane Bradley, who was giving out flowers at Liverpool Street, said:

“People were matching the flowers to their outfits.  Others were coming up to us and asking for them.  Even the policemen ended up putting them in their lapels.  It’s crazy how something so simple can have such an enormous impact.  It was really moving.

“The way people reacted was really interesting.  So many people thought we were trying to sell them something, but when they realised that we weren’t, their reaction changed dramatically.”

The distribution of flowers at Liverpool Street is just the first act of a day that will see supporters of Occupy London demonstrating their solidarity with trade unionists and campaigners against workfare.

Laura Taylor, a supporter of Occupy London, added:

“The flowers we gave to people this morning will be taken into offices all over the city. We hope they will brighten up people’s day, but also provide some food for thought. May Day is a day for everyone who works, whether that be in the public or private sector, in an office or at home, unionised or not.  Together, we can make this May the start of something really special. Everyone is invited.”

This day is for all people. It isn’t just for workers lucky enough to have unions to represent them. It is for parents and carers whose work is often not seen as productive, for people forced into workfare schemes, for students whose only way to employment is unpaid internships, for those who can’t get their foot in the door of the workplace because of their nationality, gender, disabilities. It is for all of us and our right to earn a living for a decent life.
The numbers of people claiming unemployment benefits is rising, with unemployment at levels close to their highest for a generation (much as the Government likes to constantly move the goalpost in their favour to massage the figures). Many with a job are forced to comply with unacceptable conditions, due to not having realistic alternatives, and their work is not as valued as some. The income gap between the highest and lowest is growing more quickly in Britain than other economies over the past three decades. [1] Topping the inequalities off, we’ve seen average pay rises for FTSE 100 executives at 43%, with ‘top’ directors at 49%, all of whom can use their status to avoid tax. [2]  It is time for these inequalities to stop.

This May Day, strike with your union if you have one. Call in sick, take a holiday, don’t show up. Join actions and marches in your city, bring your community together and talk about the issues in your area, make some noise. Remember, you are not alone and that together we can make a change.

Occupy London will be out in support of events on the day and is be planning some actions of our own:

Upcoming dates for your diary

Wednesday 25 April – May Planning Meeting by steps of St Paul’s
https://www.facebook.com/events/378882598811556/

Friday 27 April – Occupy Games: Warming Up for May
https://www.facebook.com/events/227837433991175/

Saturday 28 April – Capture The Flag … with Climate Justice Collective & Occupy London
https://www.facebook.com/events/213820505394549/

Tuesday 1 May – Join Occupy London for May Day – a day for all
https://www.facebook.com/events/291445027604703/

Thursday 3 May – The Big Six Energy Bash- MASS ACTION! (Climate Justice Collective event)
https://www.facebook.com/events/116076668516532/

Saturday 5 May – Londoners Connect The Dots (Occupy London Energy, Equity and Environment Group)
https://www.facebook.com/events/328898423830201/

Saturday 12 May – 12M / Meet the 1% / Global Spring
https://www.facebook.com/events/327612820626082/

Tuesday 15 May – Drought of Democracy: Flood the British Bankers’ Association!
https://www.facebook.com/events/299673646776710/

Notes
[2] Top earners draw away from lowest paid -
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cfeba520-1f6d-11e1-9916-00144feabdc0.html

[2]  Occupy London targets UK’s highest paid FTSE CEO
http://occupylsx.org/?p=1725 / N30, corporate greed, Xstrata and the right to protest -
http://occupylsx.org/?p=1755

Our city has lost its pride. It’s been stolen. Our politicians, regulators and those who were meant to be looking after things sold us out. Who is benefiting?

‘We are all in this together’ never rang so hollow. There is no ‘together’ and they are not part of ‘we’. They want us to pay for their crisis … and we think we should. So let’s pay them a visit, one by one.

On 12 May people around the world will rise up again responding to the global call for action that marks the birth of the indignados movement.

They are doing everything they can to keep the status quo. But it’s time for an economy that puts people’s well-being and the environment we live in before corporate profits. And they are in our way.