A LOAD OF PONY
Today (Thursday 15th) marked the two month anniversary of the Occupy London movement, and not to be outdone by their American counterparts (see SchNEWS 797) the UK's own called for a day of action.
A crowd gathered at the occupation site at St Paul's at 10.30am with a festively appropriate pantomime horse. After listening to speeches on the current financial crisis and possible bottom-up solutions, the demo went on a 15 minute 'canter' targeting Lloyds branches in particular, as a symbol for the 'call to greed' that the movement aims to tackle through its actions. The panto horse and its followers occupied Lloyds' main offices for a short while and then toured other branches. Lloyds' CEO who saw in the 41% taxpayer bailout of the bank has returned to his post after standing aside for six weeks due to 'extreme fatigue and sleep deprivation' and the Co-operative Group has won the bid to take the 632 Lloyds and Cheltenham and Gloucester branches the bailed out institution was ordered to sell.
The horse-led protest returned to the Occupy site in time for speeches by Rev. Jesse Jackson and others who spoke to the assembled crowd of around 350 supporters about the global occupy movement. A roving 'street party' ensued with the demonstrators heading to The Carlton Club, the 'spiritual home' of the Conservative party – an exclusive members only club for the lizards in blue.
A squatted courthouse, a group calling itself 'Occupy Justice'- all of this will sound eerily familiar to oldtime SchNEWS hacks. Occupy London is going strong in three locations
Occupy Wall Street takes back Zuccotti Park to see in 2012
SchNEWS muses on the crazy year that was 2011 and prepares for impending doom in 2012
Nearly two months after it began, Occupy Brighton has bowed out following a gale that blew most of the camp down.
Russians rage over fraudulent elections
Greece roundup- Protests mark the 3rd anniversary of Alexis Grigoropoulos's death, yet another austerity package, 400 steel workers strike over unfair treatment.
During last November's Brighton student protests, aka "Day X", a 15-year-old protester was assaulted and nicked by police. More than a year later, on Thursday (1st) he's been acquitted of all charges at Brighton Magistrates Court.
Greek anarchists re-appropriate supermarket goods off the shelves into the hands of pensioners.
An update on Brighton Hospitality workers and their work around employability rights, unionisation and campaign success.
The US and the EU are negotiating a new trade agreement – TTIP – which amounts to the biggest transfer of power to corporations seen in recent years.
We started writing about three interesting but unrelated things happening in June. Here is an amalgamated version, which is worth a read.
As politicians get ready to debate the HS2 rail project for the second time, campaigners fight for secret documents to be released - and the environmentally devastating project to be shelved.
Probation services set to be taken over by private sector mega corporations, during 'revolution' in prison and probation services.
Brighton students demo in favour of teachers' strike attracts police attention.
SchNEWS presents Bosnian correspondent Amila Bosnae's take on the current uprising shaking the country.
A week of action against forced labour.