PROTESTERS PREPARING TO OCCUPY SYDNEY

Nick O'Malley – Sydney Morning Herald - October 15, 2011

SOMETHING in Sydney is going to be occupied today. It's just not clear what, by how many, for how long or even, specifically, why.

Today the Occupy Wall Street movement, which began in September as part of an Adbusters campaign, inspired by the Arab Spring, against unchecked corporate greed, will make its presence felt with a mass meeting at Martin Place at 2.30pm.

The meeting, or ''general assembly'' in Occupy's nascent jargon, will then decide what to occupy. All that had been agreed to so far, said one of the Sydney organisers, was that a Welcome to Country would be made.

Police said they were expecting a peaceful rally of about 300 to finish before 4.30pm, though protesters have already secured the assistance of a lawyer to assist in the event of arrests.

The Wall Street occupation began with a march of about 1000 protesters on Wall Street, New York, on September 17, who later set up camp at nearby Zuccotti Park.

The leaderless and trenchantly democratic mob was protesting against the failure of the government to crack down on the practices that led to the financial collapse, the government's bailout of financial institutions and the financial system that has allowed 1 per cent of Americans to hold more than a quarter of the nation's wealth.

One of the Australian organisers, Josh Lees, a socialist activist, agreed this week that income disparity was not as bad in Australia.

''But you can make the argument that the government looks after 1 per cent over the 99 per cent,'' he said.

Another organiser, Mark Goudkamp, said he was already organising an October 15 rally in support of Spanish protests against austerity measures when the Occupy movements began springing up around the world.

He made contact with the people behind two other Australia-based Occupy websites and they held a meeting of about 30 people last Friday, and a second larger meeting on Wednesday night, attended by members of refugee support, socialist, green and anarchist groups.

By yesterday afternoon thousands had confirmed they would attend the Sydney meeting and occupations have been planned for all the state and territory capitals as well as some regional cities.

Police in New York last night postponed a plan to move on the original Wall Street protesters.

Perhaps aware that should it take off the movement could be the start of a progressive Tea Party movement, some US Democrats, including the President, Barack Obama, have given the movement some qualified sympathy, while conservative figures have been scathing.