Occupy Wall Street: ‘We are the 99%’ Leaderless protest movement targeting economic inequality starts in New York and quickly goes global in our No. 6. Occupy Wall Street By Saif Khalid Published On 27 Dec 2011 27 Dec 2011

Occupy Wall Street: ‘We are the 99%’ Leaderless protest movement targeting economic inequality starts in New York and quickly goes global in our No. 6. Occupy Wall Street By Saif Khalid Published On 27 Dec 2011 27 Dec 2011 undefined Protests against capitalism, corruption and corporate greed have spread around the world [GALLO/GETTY] The year 2011 witnessed two of the biggest mass movements in recent history – the Arab Awakening and the Occupy Wall Street movement. But while the Arab Awakening cut short the half-life of despotic rulers in the Middle East and North Africa, the Wall Street movement focused less on a leader and more on the global hegemony of multinational corporations and giant banks. The idea to “occupy” Wall Street – the US financial hub located in New York City – was first floated in July 2011 by the people behind Adbusters, a counter-culture magazine based in Vancouver, Canada, who called for peaceful action against corporate influence on democracy. The idea became a trending topic that went viral on Twitter and Facebook, and a buzzword for thousands who took to the streets across the world against what they called unfair wealth distribution and corporate-political nexus. The protests began in September in Zuccotti Park, located in the heart of New York’s financial district. Within a month, they had spread to more than 100 cities in the US. Much of the media initially mocked the Occupy protesters as a collection of kooky characters, anarchists and hippies, with no clear agenda. But as city after city erupted with demonstrations, it became clear that the movement would not be as short-lived as some once thought. Hundreds of people were arrested in New York, Oakland, Washington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and various other US cities as student groups, trade unions, and women’s groups joined the protests. The slogan “we are the 99 per cent” became an anthem for the protesters, as it attacked the root of wealth inequality between what activists said was the wealthiest one per cent and the remaining 99 per cent of the population. Wall Street, the nerve centre of global financial institutions blamed for creating an economic collapse, became an obvious symbol of that target. However, the movement soon morphed into “Occupy Everywhere” as people in more than 1,000 cities in about 100 countries took to the streets demanding better pay, jobs, an end to corruption and greed and above all, better economic conditions. The global movement has included protests in Tokyo and Melbourne, Frankfurt and Nairobi and several eurozone countries on economic life-support (Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal) also witnessed massive street protests in the wake of hefty austerity measures. Slavoj Zizek, the Slovenian-born philosopher, told Al Jazeera in November that “the marriage between capitalism and democracy is over”. While the evidence of such a statement may be up for debate, what is clear is that the discontent among thousands of people around the world is unlikely to dissipate in 2012. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA RELATED US protesters rally to occupy Wall StreetThis article will be opened in a new browser window Protesters gather in New York’s financial hub for demonstration against what organisers call corporate dominance. Published On 19 Oct 2011 19 Oct 2011 OPINIONOPINION, Occupy’s anarchist roots The ‘Occupy’ movement is one of several in American history to be based on anarchist principles. opinion by David Graeber David Grae­ber Published On 30 Nov 2011 30 Nov 2011 OPINIONOPINION, Is it time to occupy the world? If the Occupy movement hopes to achieve anything, they must organise and create a proactive strategy. opinion by Danny Schechter Dan­ny Schechter Published On 16 Nov 2011 16 Nov 2011 OPINIONOPINION, Solomon’s run for Congress Norman Solomon, who is campaigning for Congress, believes that it’s possible to be an activist and a politician. opinion by Robert Jensen Robert Jensen Published On 29 Nov 2011 29 Nov 2011 MORE FROM NEWS Five dead as Tanzania detects first-ever Marburg virus outbreak The US-led invasion of Iraq and Saddam’s Arab legacy Building collapse in Qatar kills one UK inflation rate surprisingly jumps to 10.4 percent in February MOST READ China’s Xi tells Putin of ‘changes not seen for 100 years’ UK, Russia spar over depleted uranium shells to Ukraine Putin warns UK over depleted uranium tank shells for Ukraine Ramadan 2023: Fasting hours and iftar times around the world About Connect Our Channels Our Network Follow Al Jazeera English: © 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network

Open main menu Wikipedia Search Occupy Wall Street Article Talk Language Watch Edit This article is about the protests in New York City. For the wider movement, see Occupy movement. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a 59-day left-wing populist movement against economic inequality and the influence of money in politics that had begun in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, and lasted from September 17–November 15, 2011.[7] The protests gave rise to the wider Occupy movement in the United States and other Western countries. Occupy Wall Street Part of the Occupy movement Day 28 Occupy Wall Street Tom Morello 2011 Shankbone.JPG Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello with Occupy Wall Street protesters outside of the Equitable Building at 120 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, New York on October 14, 2011 Date September 17, 2011 – November 15, 2011 Location New York City 40°42′33″N 74°0′40″W Caused by Wealth inequality, political corruption,[1] corporate influence of government Methods Occupation Civil disobedience Picketing Demonstrations Internet activism Parties to the civil conflict Occupy movement protesters Wall Street Number Zuccotti Park Other activity in NYC: 700+ marchers arrested (crossing Brooklyn Bridge, October 1, 2011)[2] 2,000+ marchers (march on police headquarters, October 2, 2011)[3] 15,000+ marchers (Lower Manhattan solidarity march, October 5, 2011)[4] 6,000+ marchers (Times Square recruitment center march, October 15, 2011)[5] 50,000–100,000 marchers (2012 May Day march on Wall St.)[6] The Canadian anti-consumerist magazine Adbusters initiated the call for a protest.[8] The main issues raised by Occupy Wall Street were social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector. The OWS slogan, "We are the 99%", refers to income and wealth inequality in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. To achieve their goals, protesters acted on consensus-based decisions made in general assemblies which emphasized redress through direct action over the petitioning to authorities.[9][nb 1] The protesters were forced out of Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. Protesters then turned their focus to occupying banks, corporate headquarters, board meetings, foreclosed homes, college and university campuses and social media. Origins Background Zuccotti Park encampment Occupy media Security, crime and legal issues Economic Blockades and Cryptocurrency Donations Government crackdowns Notable responses Criticism Subsequent activity See also References Further reading External links Last edited 4 days ago by Cullen328 Wikipedia Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Privacy policy Terms of Use Desktop