The coverage of the Occupy protests was very slow to get going – especially by the BBC – when the whole thing first sprung up in the US as Occupy Wall Street. Coverage has also been muted since the camp was set up by the London stock exchange but when I saw the first TV news report I knew that I had to go there. And on Wednesday that’s what I did. Here are some thoughts about what I saw. I’ll post some photos and video footage tomorrow and on Sunday I’ll reflect on the involvement of the church. And at some point during next week I’ll also offer some views about where I think God is in it all.

I’ll list my impressions of what I saw under a number of headings:

The setting
The setting couldn’t be more impressive or the camp more incongruous. Set in the heart of the British establishment the camp (of between 70-100 tents) in its very presence is making a powerful statement. With St Paul’s Cathedral representing the established church and the offices of some of the country’s most powerful financial institutions all around as a backdrop to the camp, you could not help but feel that just being there is a protest in itself. Because of its location powerful people have to walk past and are confronted with a statement that calls for change.

Diversity of protestors
I’ve read somewhere that it is just the usual suspects who are present – those who find any and every cause and pitch up to join the fight. And yes, I suppose they were there. But there were others there who don’t fit that profile – me among them. There was a diversity of protestors, which probably meant a diversity of opinion on the issues too – but all united believing that something big must change. It seemed to me that this is quite a broad movement.

Dialogue
One feature that impressed me was the willingness of both protestor and protested-at to dialogue with one another. Often some of the professional people – many of them presumably working in the financial sector – would stop to engage the protestors. A dialogue would then be had where views were exchanged. I listened to one in particular and found that the gap between the two sides is wide. But at least both sides are listening to each other. The other feature of the camp is the dialogue that goes on between the protestors themselves. Often you would find a group sitting in a circle and sharing thoughts and views about what concerns them, how to get their message out etc.

Respect
While first glimpse of the camp would suggest a high level of disrespect towards authority I actually found the reverse. They are working very hard to ensure that the church and its property is respected and even the police were listened to when they suggested that the expanding camp was in danger of spilling over and blocking access. Free access to St Paul’s is maintained – though all who want to enter will have to do so by walking past the camp. On Wednesday Evensong included a service in which many of the great and the good of the diplomatic service were present – including a government minister and the Duke of Kent. There were plenty of police officers present – but none were needed to keep order.

Experienced protestors
Again on first glimpse you would think that there was little or no organisation to this protest but this would be a false impression. They had a First Aid tent, a meditation area, a media and legal tent, a supplies tent, a food tent, a recycling area. They had people with clipboards and notebooks; meetings and lectures; and overall a sense that they were well planned and intending to be there for a long time. While there may be many like me who turn up for a day with little familiarity of protesting, there is a high level of experience organising things in the background.

Media interest
Coverage may have been slow initially but there were quite a few media outlets present on Wednesday – including what appeared to be international interest. This is essential, of course, if the message is to resound.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my day there. Will I go again? If possible, yes. And if it’s possible for you to go then you should. If we all add our voice then maybe change could happen.

Any thoughts or questions?


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