Free camping in Central London
It used to be a regrettable fact that London did not have a campsite for those who find hotel prices steep. So the anti-capitalism protestors currently occupying the space in front of St Paul’s Cathedral have done backpackers a big favour. The Church, the police and the Corporation of London have, today, decided to take no action against the protestors. My conclusion is that anyone who wants to camp in a London street, square or public park only has to say ‘I am an anti-capitalist’ and they will be allowed to camp for free. At this time of year, my recommendation is to look for a pitch near the vent from an office building. Tramps have always know these places are well-supplied with hot air.
image courtesy
spinkney
It seems now is a good time to travel if you are happy to camp out, although in some cities you may need to be prepared to change locations frequently. [ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/police-move-in-on-remaining-occupy-brisbane-protesters/story-e6frg6nf-1226183254534 ]
Although some aspects of the political agenda of the protesters seems to be being taken more seriously in NYC?[ http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=610327 ] I suppose this is the difference between making general rather than specific demands?
It reminds me of our earlier discussion of Parliament Square and the idea that cities need places for political demonstrations. I got the idea from a friend who wanted Brussels to have a designated square, in front of the EU Parliament, for ‘revolutions’. Syntagma Square in Athens is taking on this role http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/19/athens-protests-syntagma-austerity-protests and I was delighted to hear, yesterday, that Greece is going to hold a referendum. The only pity is that they did not do it when the crisis first broke. Democracy needs to come back onto the streets and into the foreground of urban living.
Yes. Unfortuneately it is difficult to distinguish how much of the protests are democracy at work and how much is social media activism (ie. Hijacking of spontaneous protest movements).
“The anarchists in the circle made what seemed, at the time, an insanely ambitious proposal. Why not let them operate exactly like this committee: by consensus.”
[ http://occupywallst.org/ ]
Hopefully, the useful will prevail.