h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

jwf,
I heard that piece of news in the national radio. They translated occupiers as indignados and added that the Occupy movement in North America protests against the abuses of financial corporations.

January 20. Peaceful
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/01/occupy_the_courts_movement_set.html

January 25, Not peaceful ...
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/01/occupy_portland_group_gathers.html

Thanks for that Gingersnapper.

"About 100 protesters have marched to the Southwest Fourth Avenue of City Hall. About 30 police officers on bike, motorcycle and on foot are monitoring the protest. Now the crowd is dancing to the Bob Marley song 'Buffalo Soldier'."



~jwf~

What's the significance of that song?

Does anyone know if that was an official march, and if it needed a permit?

I think it's generally understood that Occupy are overwintering. Planning for an American Spring.

'Cept it's summer in half the planet

Not the places that count.

Everywhere counts.

Everywhere counts but the 1% have been more flagrant in the Northern Hemisphere. We haven't heard much about Occupy in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or Argentina.

I agree...or the new Asian booming capitalist economies.

But I'm into the *idea* of it again. Can't explain properly. Sorry.

Actually...Occupy Buenos Aires has been pretty active.

I can't claim to know a lot about them. I wonder to what extent they have been shaped by already having faced down a Crisis of Capitalism within living memory?

Meanwhile in the US
http://www.gocomics.com/henrypayne

That link will change when the comic updates so here's one that should be more permanent. http://www.gocomics.com/henrypayne/2012/01/26

Interoccupy communications and face to face community building is a key step in growing solidarity in a global movement,” says Austin Guest, member of the OWS Direct Action group. At each stop along the trip, occupiers will share skills and knowledge with each other. By building relationships between occupations, occupiers are setting the stage for nationally coordinated actions.



Full story here: http://occupynews.org/?p=1473

Meanwhile back in Egypt, the place that created
the idea of mass twittering in an Arab Spring,
they are demonstrating the fine line between
hooliganism and political righteousness.

70 people are dead and there have been
large fires in the national stadium while
police stand back and watch.

~jwf~

>>> they are demonstrating the fine line between
hooliganism and political righteousness.

Are they really? That's rather interesting, since what has been reported suggests nothing of the sort. What has been reported a horrifyingly extreme example of football violence, and that police, having only been trained in brutal oppression, had no experience in dealing with such matters and thus stood by or simply ran away.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/20122118396971404.html

And speaking of police and brutal oppression, here's a news item that does have something to do with Occupy:

http://occupyoakland.org/2012/01/occupy-oakland-endorses-february-6th-as-a-day-of-action-against-police-brutality-and-arrests/

February 6th as a day of Action against police brutality and arrests

Yes ~ jwf ~

Last night the BBC were talking to numerous people on the ground in Egypt as well as correspondants. A lot of 'Agents provocateurs' stuff appeared to be going on; obviously with a 'history' between the two teams of tensions it was an ideal opportunity.

It's concerning..but most certainly its not *just about* football violence given the cultural context. That is being manipulated, much as the extreme right has done that here in the past.

And it's certainly not - as squiggle was hinting - an elision from political protest into violence. It was a different thing.

There was also nominally anti-Coptic violence last year, directly orchestrated by the military. *The revolution didn't actually succeed*.

Rioting mobs are rioting mobs.
In the heat of the moment it matters not
why a mob is rioting. The only measure of
contrast is in the actions of police and
security forces trying to contain it.

After-game sports riots here in Canada have
become a national embarrassment. We aren't
supposed to care enough about anything to
be moved to criminal damage.


~jwf~

The way your posts are formatted, I always expect them to rhyme.