Civil liberties
Occupy: this is just the beginning
Occupy began as a movement against the effects and causes of the global economic crisis and against the austerity measures pushed by governments for the benefit of the 1%. In Australia, many people were inspired by Occupy Wall Street in New York and the global movement it had sparked.
When an international call for action on October 15 came out, we responded, and began our own occupations here.
Some chose to occupy because we were inspired by the mass movement of the indignados in Spain or the Egyptians in Tahrir square. We were inspired by their actions, but it was their message that we brought to Australia — the message that a small, powerful elite may run our societies, but an alternative is possible.
Great experience at Occupy Brisbane
I originally heard about a proposed occupation in Brisbane when I was following the other global Occupy movements. I was immediately excited and very interested in being involved, as I have never really experienced anything like it before. From my (young) perspective, this was a significant and unique event, unparalleled since the anti-globalisation protests of the ’90s and early 2000s.
'Join us -- we are all 99%'
Occupy Sydney statement: 'Join us -- we are all 99%'
Occupy Sydney read out the statement below at an October 22 rally held at the occupy site in Sydney’s Martin Place. The statement was adopted unanimously by about 1000 rally attendees.
Live blog: Occupy Melbourne, Sydney rallies
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We are the workers. We are the indebted. We are the immigrants and the indigenous. We are the homeless. We are the students. We are the unemployed. We are the underrepresented people of the world.
We are the 99%. We are Occupy Sydney.
The resistance around the world against corrupt governments and the devastating effects of the global financial crisis has exposed the realities of the world in which we live.
We live in a world where we produce a surplus of food and yet millions of children starve.
We live in a world where the 1% that created the financial crisis are bailed-out and rewarded, while the 99% pay the price through their wages, their houses and their pensions.
We live in a country that has never been so unequal. And our environment has never been so devastated.
The events in Tunisia and Egypt, and the events beginning in Greece, Spain and the United States, show us that, united in action, the 99% can change the world and determine the type of society that we want to live in.
We are part of a movement that aims to connect the important struggles that are happening, both here in Australia and around the world, and is creating a new path towards a society based on the needs and the democratic participation of all.
We extend our hand and invite you to join us, because we all are the 99%.
Together we will occupy
The world is rising up. When we look around the globe we see people in motion. Revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa against brutal dictators, the movements against austerity measures in Europe and Britain, democratic and indigenous revolutions in Latin America, and the Occupy Wall Street protests spreading across the United States. Resistance is in solidarity with all these movements for change.
What these movements have in common is a struggle for a more democratic society and a fight to end corporate control over people's lives. This is a struggle we share in Australia. We’re here for the same reason as everyone else. We’ve had enough — and we think an alternative is possible.
Resistance gears up for climate change, social change conference
Resistance is a co-sponsor of the Climate Change Social Change activist conference in Melbourne over September 30 to October 4. Green Left Weekly asked some Resistance members about their thoughts on this major event.
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Hannah Reardon-Smith, Brisbane
To me, events such as the Climate Change Social Change conference are essential for reigniting my enthusiasm and my energy for the good (but long) fight.
I’m going because I want to add much to my knowledge, get inspired, gain new ideas on the best ways to take action, challenge my perceptions, and surround myself with people that can see the injustice and destruction in the world around us as well as the causes — people who are willing to stand up and speak out.
There is no other event that brings together the two biggest crises of our time — global warming and social crisis. In doing so it highlights that the root cause of both is in fact the same — in Nina Power's words: “Capitalism! Obviously.” — and in order to fight against one we must take up the challenge to fight it all.
Unlike the despair displayed by activists in other movements, socialists are the ones who consistently have concrete answers and inventive ideas about what can be done and how to go about it.
