The following statement was passed at tonight’s General Assembly, which was held outside Westminster Abbey just across the road from the Houses of Parliament:
We send our support and warm wishes to Occupy Oakland from Occupy London. We unreservedly condemn the deliberate and planned police brutality and violence inflicted on non-violent Occupy protesters, including those aiming to take over an abandoned building to use as a community centre.
We are horrified that armed Oakland police surrounded, tear-gassed, beat and fired rubber bullets at demonstrators, including children. Video footage shows the police firing rubber bullets at kettled protesters. Over 300 people were arrested and taken into custody. Some were tear gassed in their cells, handcuffed so their hands lost all sensation, denied food, medication and access to toilets, and forced to sit in their urine and vomit for hours, a clear human rights violation.
As the home of the Black Panther Party, we know that Oakland has a tremendous history of organising, and faces particular targeting by police. The recent “F*ck the Police” demos are an important message that we will not tolerate the violence of the 1% per cent aimed at ensuring the smooth transfer of our wealth to them.
We condemn Mayor Quan for spending $5 million to police and attack Occupy protesters, and for calling on people to support non-profits instead. Non-profits must immediately, visibly and loudly refuse to be used to attack independent activity and organising. If they don’t they will be condemned for collaborating in the attacks on Occupy and the movement for justice for the sake of their own funding and careers.
From the start, Oakland has been a strength for us. Your October 2011 statement that “Every grievance against this system is worthy of a collective response” spoke for all of us. We cheered when Occupy brought thousands of unwaged and waged workers together to shut down the ports.
We are delighted that despite attacks and evictions, Occupy Oakland are still taking to the streets, saying enough of endless money to pay for the banks’ crisis, while people are made homeless and impoverished.
Some UK occupations have been evicted but people have stayed together and continued to organise. Others are facing threats of eviction. The uprisings this summer in response to yet another killing by police saw many young people arrested, criminalised and given punitive and sadistic sentences. In London, we are demanding that St Paul’s and the church stand with the 99 per cent against any attack on Occupy by the police and government.
Your creative organising gives courage to our movement, here and in other countries. The overwhelming power of the 99% is, as the protestors chanted, “unstoppable”.
From Occupy London, 3 Feb 2012
Occupy Movement by the 99% is, not only the right path to greater justice and equlity but also to a new world order to enable Humans and Animals exist and live in a more harmoneous and syncronised world.
Just thank you.
Chris
Fab letter guys, BUT why wasn’t this particular GA advertised on the numerous OLSX websites/forums. Phil told us about it 40 hours before the event, at the General Discussion, which occurred Feb 1st in TCU, BUT he did not give us the details of EXACTLY where we were to meet.
Moreover, how do disabled people walk three miles in the freezing cold ?
I guess this event was organised by the able-bodied health conscious lads and lasses of our beloved movement then! That’s great and wonderful but please in future give notification across the web otherwise, one can only assume that U wish to exclude various groups and/or individuals from attending
With Respect and Solidarity
Andria Efthimiou-Mordaunt
We cry for You Our Beloved Oakland Protesters, Dear Brothers and Sisters You are bearing some of the cruellest and most brutal repression for our Global Cause, We are joined to You by bonds of deep and pure Solidarity, we Call Upon Your Neighbouring Occupy Centres to Join You, to swell your Just Protests, and if these Neighbours come under increased police Brutalisation and Victimisation, we call upon More Neighbouring Occupy Centres to Swell your Just Protests, And So On and So On and So On, like a spiralling cycle of support, SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT, through the dark Winter into the Spring and the Summer and So On and So On, spiralling cycleS of support, SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT, We will not be defeated, We are a Globally Inclusive Movement, We will care for our Fellow Protesters, We will Not see them Downtrodden, We are a Global Movement and cannot be defeated by local, regional or national regimes, By supporting one another Globally we will achieve our objective of releasing the 1% from their Anti-Social Sickness of Greed, which casts a shadow of Misery and Death around the Our World, We are the 99%, we have the power of Democracy, We will unseat all corrupt Power Structures which support the Greedy 1%, We will be Persistent and Determined until the 1% are regulated by fair laws, We will never stop and we can never be stopped, We must stand together through these early days of repression to send a clear message to the faltering and panicking local authorities, IT IS OF NO USE TRYING TO BULLY AND SILENCE US, WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED, WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED, YOU CANNOT DESTROY AN IDEA, WE WILL ENGENDER spiralling cycles of support, SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT UPON SUPPORT FOR OUR FRIENDS, WE EMBRACE OUR FELLOW PROTESTERS IN OAKLAND!!!