Occupy Wall Street-style protests spread to Britain

[cal04]

Source: MSNBC

A young woman spray-paints the final letter on a floral-patterned sheet. Unfurled it reads: "Occupy London, 15 Oct, occupylsx.org."

(snip)
Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests on the other side of the Atlantic, demonstrators plan to establish a tent city in London’s City financial district next weekend.

“The Wall Street protests sort of inspired everything,” said Kai Wargalla, who co-created the Occupy London Facebook group. “It was just time to start here. We need people to step up and speak out.”

This movement aims to unite the United Kingdom’s far-flung activist communities in addressing "the inequality of the financial system," Wargalla said.

Read more: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/09/8234525-occupy-wall-street-style-protests-spread-to-britain

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http://occupylsx.org/
Occupy London

[DonCoquixote]

1. To be fair

Egypt and the Uk started this, we Yanks just caught up.

[liberalmike27]

5. Agreed

Typical for the U.S. to coopt being first though. We're way behind the curve on this thing. Has a lot to do with our general lifestyle and standard of living being higher I guess, to start with.

[LittleGirl]

2. Reading the english speaking expat forum of Toytown Germany

there are protests being organized in Berlin as well.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Parking in the City of London

ain't exactly a piece of cake. Good luck to them pitching tents.

Map of the "City" for anyone not familiar with London : http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/maps/

Its roughly one square mile in area and has its own police force - City of London Police : its not covered by the Met. If nothing has changed then access is via manned policed width restrictions which were introduced following the IRA bombing campaign.

[cal04]

4. Greg Mitchell: Mass sit down/lie down on the bridge (pic)

Greg Mitchell
http://twitter.com/#!/GregMitch
9:10 "Penny Red" who had covered NY protests, returns to London, finds major Occupy action there today at Westminster (see below), and tweets: " Seems to be a quiet street party here. Nearly every London activist I know is on this bridge." That's Westminster Bridge and the hashtag is #blockthebridge. Indeed, see the blockage in photo.
http://yfrog.com/kjzqxdfj

[dipsydoodle]

6. Protesters against NHS reforms occupy Westminster Bridge

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/09/anti-nhs-reforms-protest-block-bridge

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. dipsy, pls. keep us informed with pics and news????

I trust Du information more than I trust MSM.

[dipsydoodle]

11. Some pics are really cool

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

7. Protesters Occupy Bridge in Central London

2011-10-10 00:50:05 Xinhua Web Editor: Zhangxu

Hundreds of Britons on Sunday occupied a bridge in central London to protest against the government's health reform plan to be debated in the House of Lords several days later.

Trade unionists, pensioners and health workers joined the protest and blocked the Westminster Bridge, one of the busiest bridges over the River Thames.

"NHS should be run by the government to provide free healthcare," Nathan Roberts said in an interview with Xinhua. "It should not be competition for profits."

NHS, officially called National Health Service, provides a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of England ...

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/10/10/2021s661924.htm

[dipsydoodle]

8. Its never been "free"

that's just an expression.

Current rates here : http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/nic.htm

In very very simple terms its funded by c. 25% of gross salaries split between the employee and the employer. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/rates/nic.htm

Its socialised healthcare : not free healthcare. Those that pay cover for those who do not or are not eligible to do so.

[EdMaven]

10. "Free at the point of use"

[dipsydoodle]

12. It would still be free at point of use

The issue is in the government paying for NHS patients to be treated by private companies instead of historic NHS facilities.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Original ref. from 2:43PM BST 28 Sep 2011

In a Facebook group called Occupy the London Stock Exchange organisers call on crowds to march on the exchange's headquarters at Paternoster Square and fortify it with tents and barricades "for a few months".

"Beginning on October 15, we want to see at least over 20,000 people flood in, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy the London Stock Exchange for a few months. Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices," reads the description of the protest on Facebook.

According to the group the protest will begin on Saturday October 15 and run until 11am on December 12.

The event currently has 225 confirmed attendees, with a further 121 tentative yes's, despite the site failing to list any aims or objectives for the event, or exactly what is being protested.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8794169/Protesters-plan-to-occupy-London-Stock-Exchange.html