Visits to Parliament Square during Occupy Democracy Week

Parliament Square, London
October 17th - 26th, 2014

By Tracey Dunn
Photos by Donna Crichton
Video by @indyrikki - indyrikki.wordpress.com

People had decided to Occupy Parliament Square for a week starting the night before the 'Demonstration against Austerity' march. The first night ended very early the next morning with almost everyone being arrested for trespassing. I wondered if the occupation would really happen. People were being invited to come along to learn, discuss and participate and subjects on the agenda included:

NHS privatisation
Bedroom Tax
Fracking
Fuel Poverty
Endless War
Tripling of tuition fees
Benefit cuts for the disabled
TTIP Secret trade deals
Cuts to public services like Libraries, Mental Health Day Centres, Sure Start nurseries and Youth Clubs.

None of these issues had been voted in by ordinary citizens, so it was decided to demand real democracy that works for everyone rather than a small wealthy elite. They would usually be Corporations, M.P.'s with business interests, bankers and suchlike.

Many of these are guilty of not paying much in tax by using tax havens and also those who had taken bonuses after being bailed out by the government with billions of pounds of our money.

We are constantly being told that there is NO alternative, but those attending the occupation would be showing that another world is possible through opening up a democratic space for workshops, talks and more.

I visited a few times and was shocked at the amount of police. It was so excessive and intimidating. It also showed that the Government were trying to clamp down on peaceful protest as per usual.

The first time I visited there was a discussion in the middle of the Square on the privatisation of our National Health Service. All ages were gathered on a tarpaulin as it was so muddy and a very lively debate was happening.

Soon after the police weren't happy about the people on the Square and removed the tarp. No one was allowed back in the Square as barriers were erected all the way round. In future everyone was on a small strip of grass just to the side of Parliament Square.

Protesters had anything that was called a 'structure' confiscated from them. This included tents and rucksacks. Literature was also disallowed although there was plenty of stuff to read on view and many placards.

Sleeping bags could be kept to put around shoulders but not to be used for sleeping in. Sleeping was definitely not allowed. Wardens started going round waking people up if they happened to fall asleep. 'Laws' also kept changing all the time depending on what was occurring.

The next time I visited I met someone I knew with a huge anti-fracking placard. I had put her and another activist up in my home last year when she was touring the UK with the 'Climate Caravan for a million green jobs'. They had visited Liverpool as part of the tour and I was a volunteer on the day. It was great to see her and she filled me in on some of what had been happening.

That was also the day when an activist had climbed the Winston Churchill statue in the Square in protest at not being allowed onto the main area. He had stayed on the statue all night and his 24 hour occupation celebration took place with cheers and songs. The Green MP's Jenny Jones and Caroline Lucas had both tried to give him food or water and both were threatened with arrest. Jenny Jones was actually arrested but then promptly released when the cops discovered she was a Baroness MP.

I returned later that night as police had brought in climbers wearing all the harness type stuff to remove the guy on the statue. Crowds were yelling at the police "Shame on you" as they tried to push the people back. The climbers had to back down due to the protesters calling them out on their failure to remove the occupier safely.

It was a small victory but didn't last long as suddenly, like a 'Carry On' film, a team of scaffolders arrived and promptly erected scaffold all around the statue.

Finally, Statue Man came down and the crowds thinned leaving the hardcore protesters to continue the vigil.

As I write this it is the last few days of the occupation and I think it has shown that people are not going to shut up. I believe there will be more people waking up and seeing what's really going on. Expect more...next Parliament Square event is November 5th, starting at 6pm...expect us.

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Sorry Comments Closed

Comment left by Tracey Dunn on 29th October, 2014 at 16:32
House Of Lords debate on the Occupy Parliament Square protest http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2014-10-28a.1066.3