Occupy London

I visited the St Paul's Occupy London site this week. Expecting the deluge of crazed hippies and down and outers that it seems the Media likes to focus on. The rage and the anger, the mess and the inconvenience to St Pauls.

What did I find? A Welfare Tent, where healers and counsellors are donating their time to those being drawn to the site from the area, an Info tent with a library and workshops and events happening in a separate space. The same Hare Krishna's I had met at the anti war protests last month, giving out free, hot food. A trio of masked people giving out " Free Hugs". In front of St Paul's there were people drumming, giving speeches, camera crews and then Jon Snow popped by and through. The walls of surrounding buildings were starting to get covered in posters, pictures, writings on Freedom, Democracy, yearnings for an end to the Wars, Equality, poetry and statements of support. There were portaloos on site, tents of all shapes and sizes and people milling about smiling and nodding hello to each other. The Police stood on the sidelines and watched. I did not feel intimidated, overwhelmed or confused. I felt this was a community rising up in the middle of London. It was made up a real mix of people from all walks of life. It also consisted of those in need of help, the homeless, the addicted and one organisor told me they had to call in the Police for the odd bit of unrest. For the camp was a place of Peace.

What exactly are these people protesting about? Well I would not say it was a Protest. It seemed more to be a cry to take to the streets and reclaim the Land and in that Power. It was a call from the people of London that they had had enough of not being listened to. As if to say: we have taken to the streets and marched, we have made some noise, we have gathered in our millions and made our presence felt and said No to illegal wars, no to the abuse by banks, of the erosion of our human rights and still the machinery of the Government moves forward. Still there is inequality,still there is a want for a better life. So if no one will listen then we shall have no choice but to reclaim this Land. And that is what has happened. A small patch of Land has been reclaimed by those of the Land.

And so now what? How long will this impasse last and what is the solution forward?  What does this show us? Across the world there have been uprisings and protests. Some have been violent, many have been led with Peace and a sense of Dignity in the face of State Aggression. How long will governments continue to ignore those very people they are in "power" to serve, the very people they court when election times arrive, who they ply with promises that wither in the stark reality of Governance? This cannot be an indefinite reality. Some say that the Occupy Movement has had its' time. That is debatable. The organisation is growing, more people are being drawn to make a stand in this way, more Land has been reclaimed. Groups are springing up on camp to support those in need, those with addictions, those who feel alienated from society to find a way to empower themselves. This is professionals giving up their time. This is Community growing in our midst and joining not through a love of x factor but through a desire for Change. I'm sure a fair few people find this unsettling. I find it inspiring. For if it does nothing else than spark debate, if one person goes down there and has their photo taken next to a tent, then goes home and ponders the question of Why this is happening, the seeds of Change have been sown. The daily presence of the camps are a constant reminder to those in the City that there is something at the heart of London that needs to be addressed and it shall not go away, it shall not be silenced and it shall not give up. Sit up and take note- this Movement has only just woken up.