Faux news: The Media Companies which lobby against transparency

 As spin becomes the currency of political fortune Corporations blur the lines between ethics and marketing the words news and truth increasingly become strangers.

 Concentration of power in any bloc must be opposed and never more so than when as now working people are stressed, time poor and vulnerable to misinformation masquerading as news.

  Occupy Sydney and the Occupy movement have articulated many messages opposing the vesting of power in the concentrated hands of a few.We must continue to do so and the tightly held major media companies should be front and centre of our focus. It is they who skilfully disseminate the will of the 1% to a largely unquestioning public.
 
  News organizations cultivate a reputation for demanding transparency, whether by suing for access to government documents, dispatching camera crews to the doorsteps of recalcitrant politicians, or editorializing in favor of open government. Meet the Media Companies Lobbying Against Transparency....  full article  http://bit.ly/JelW3q

Occupy Sydney Re Occupation Call

 

Occupy Sydney call to reoccupy

All old & new Faces welcome

Occupy Sydney Twitter  New Occupiers Twitter

6 a.m meeting decided NOT to reoccupy at this stage as current occupiers seem to be trying to go 24-7. We have sufficient equipment and new literature ready to print. We will support the current "occupation" in principle if they choose to,but not on the ground. We do not agree with their presentation to the extent that we will not associate with it. In addition current occupiers discarded much of the equipment (which they deemed rubbish) such as heavy duty tarps needed to secure a permanent occupation. We are on standby and now willing and able to deploy a 24-7 occupation with 24 hours notice- at Elizabeth St site.

occupy sydney ,original sign from the original re occupation
when Che,Hugo ,Lily ,Christian,Lance and Peter reoccupied. 

  An autonomous group including people well known within Occupy Sydney and some fresh blood are planning a 24 / 7 re occupation at the abandoned Elizabeth St site which served us so well for so long. 
  
  As a direct response to the police raid on Occupy Sydney this (Friday) morning , and the subsequent abandonment of the occupation , and the subsequent failure of an emergency General Assembly called at 9am at the Downing Centre to convene or properly conduct business (due to Lilys Court matter) this autonomous call is for an Occupy Sydney General Assembly to convene on Wednesday 6pm at the Martin Place and Elizabeth St site with the intention of re-establishing a twenty four hour, seven day a week occupation at that site. Intending occupiers please bring sleeping bags.  

  We envisage that the occupation will not seek confrontation, rather focussing on delivering the core message "We want change", listening to and including the public in a necessary discussion. Much of the equipment necessary to rebuild the occupation is no longer in our possession so we will be seeking logistical support supplies of the following are required.

• Pamphlets Posters & Printed Matter.
• Banners Paints & Banner Making Materials
• Top-Display Units - max height about 500-600mm. 
• Heavy Duty Tarps- Plastic Banner material Type especially welcome.
• Corflute - for signage.

 Note: This proposed reoccupation will be cancelled should others choose to re establish a twenty four seven occupation at either site. It is not the intent of the proponents to oppose or replicate ANY PERMANENT occupation... 

This action has been called autonomously by a group associated with Lanz an occupier.

May 12 call Millions on the Streets

There is a call for the millions to take to the streets on May 12th 2012. Will Occupy Sydney  be involved?? Thats up to our General Assembly at the moment but efforts to mobilise should be made soon if we are going to act... 

They said the movement was dead. That the indignation had subsided. That rage and frustration alone was never a sustainable motivation for continued resistance against the scourges of financial capitalism and the farce of our so-called representative democracy... (more)

ON MAY 12 2011, WALL STREET WAS THE PEOPLE'S TERRITORY For years, American working families have shouldered the burden of an economic crisis they didn’t create, while those who caused it now reap record-high profits.  Last Thursday, tens of thousands of us stormed the belly of the beast, Wall Street, to demonstrate...more

How will Occupy Sydney and the Occupy Movement in Australia respond???

The Occupation

The Occupy Sydney Occupation in Martin Place has been continuous since October 15 2011. On 23 October the NSW Police, we believe illegally, used approximately 100 Riot cops to enforce a City ordinance (based on a wilful misinterpretation). Those events will be the subject of a High Court challenge beginning 7 March ( High Court, King St & Macquarie St).

The occupation was continued by Occupy stalwarts Bob Peter and supporters who maintained a presence despite extreme police presence, with up to 25 cops maintaining a twenty four hour watch on the area. On the 5th November a reoccupation Rally was attempted initially in Martin Place, then Hyde Park. Again the Riot squad were used to break up the reoccupation group. 

A Greens City Of Sydney councillor tabled a request on 7 November that Occupy Sydney be allocated a prominent Protest position somewhere in Sydney. A bloc of councillors led by Mayor Clover Moore voted against the proposal, offering instead that Occupy Sydney avail ourselves of the same processes which have consistently worn people down and been ineffective. An immediate autonomous reoccupation of the original Martin Place space by a small group followed. 

 From Nov 7 to December 21 the Occupation continued at the original site. A decision was  made by the occupiers to relocate a block west along Martin Place to our current location on the corner of Elizabeth St. near Channel 7. This decision was effected to allow a Jewish Festival  at our original location to proceed uninterrupted by our presence.


At all times the occupation has been mindful and respectful of the publics right to use space and we have wilfully located to offer minimal impact on the public thoroughfares and resources in the area. We have expanded and contracted the occupation to accommodate the numbers or lack thereof) at all given times.

   NSW Police have adopted what can only be described as a policy of applied State Terrorism carrying out numerous raids (up to four a day). We believe that their overarching objective was to drive fear of persecution into those who occupied and those who were considering supporting us. During many of these raids Police removed Occupy Sydney property. Much of that property has not been returned.Police have stated that they have declared much of the property rubbish and dumped it. Included in the items missing are many political posters and signs informing the public of NSW Police's excessive use of police powers and leveraging non existent laws. At no time have police issued receipts for the property taken.Nor have they quoted any legislative or regulatory breaches which they were enforcing. Proceedings are in progress in relation to these matters and we anticipate that charges will flow against individual police officers and their chain of command.

 The Occupy message has unfortunately been distorted and diluted by interaction with police. Much of our time has been spent defending our right to Protest and articulate peacefully, unfettered by the government whose inertia and collaboration with TransNationals is the problem that Occupy addresses.


   Occupy Sydney is NOT a protest movement in the sense that we don't pretend to have all of the answers. Occupy Sydney know that there are problems and that unless a discussion happens among the people in the peoples forum these problems will never be fixed. 


 The Occupation is a reminder to all that public space is the property of the public- not for the exclusive use of corporations to market their wares nor a mere thoroughfare between commercial centres.Public squares are where people should feel free to discuss - if these discussions are not held now we leave a legacy of less for our descendants because we will have permitted a greedy few to destroy more in the name of increasing their wealth. The Occupy Sydney Occupation is located in Martin Place because it is Australia's Wall St -the financial centre surrounded by the National & Transnational Retail and Merchant Banks who consider us mere commodities to be toyed with as a means of advancing their Greed driven interests.

 The Martin Place occupation is here and a canvas to accommodate your questions, facilitate your ideas. Bring them to our general assemblies, Mon & Wed 6-30pm Sat 5-30pm at the Martin Place occupation. Or join our working groups

Friday Night Movies at Occupy Sydney

  A regular feature at the Occupy Sydney Occupation for the past month has been the 8pm screenings of Friday Night Movies by Alain. His excellent bicycle based computer sourced projection system is totally self contained and his selection of informative Occupy related material is easily digested by the appreciative gatherings. Passersby often stop to watch and there is interest from the patrons of the neighbouring pub.


 My personal favorite of the items he has shown so far is Crude: The Movie

..or how Chevron subsidiary Texaco destroyed 

an area the size of Delaware in Equador

however the broad range of environmental economic and social issues covered speaks to the core raison de etre of the Occupy Movement. 


 So drop by Occupy Sydney around 8pm tonight or any Friday night (cnr Elizabeth St & Martin Pl) where screenings take place.

Occupy to End All Wars

Occupy to End The Arms Race

occupy for peace

The “Occupy” movement, which started in New York towards the end of 2011, has spread around the world and taken root in many states and countries. Simply keeping this movement going over the northern winter has been a huge achievement. Now spring approaches. What can the movement achieve in 2012?
Occupy is first and foremost a movement for economic justice, yet the remedies are not obvious or universally agreed. Defining a clear, coherent set of economic demands is not easy.
However, there's an absolute imperative this year to stop the stampede to yet more evil and unnecessary wars – wars that could, in the worst case, end civilisation as we know it and cause human death on an utterly unprecedented scale.
Plutocrats responsible for bleeding humanity dry are behind these wars. Defeating their push to demolish all remaining source of resistance to their imperialist policies is crucial to overcoming their broader agenda. In any case, peace is its own reward. For the masses , no real economic progress can be made if the 'dogs of war' run free.
The Occupy movement has a chance to make a crucial contribution to the survival and well-being of humanity, by coalescing as a worldwide movement to oppose militarism and war. Demonstrations around the world should become permanent until the warmongers call off their attempt to pitch the planet into yet more catastrophic wars – wars likely to benefit no-one in the long-term.
The USA now boasts the most bloated military machine in the history of the world, with many hundreds of military bases situated in over half the nations on earth. It can only maintain this imperial structure by fleecing the American people and distorting the global economy.
Defeating the war machine is the most direct way to free up the resources needed to trigger global economic recovery and the rebuilding of our economy so it is genuinely sustainable and serve real human needs.
In 2012, let's Occupy Planet Earth for Peace!
                                                                           written for Occupy Sydney
                                                                          by Syd Walker
                                                                          follow @SydWalker on Twitter

please distribute widely

Worldwide Occupy March of Solidarity Feb 27

HEADS UP EVERYONE! DON'T FORGET TO SHARE THIS MESSAGE: In the light and expansion of the recent Occupy movements, we have witnessed the solidarity between North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Every time our Occupying families are raided or attacked by brutal police force, we show little to no solidarity between ourselves. As such, this march will be dedicated to demonstrate the solidarity and strength that we hold dear. We now live in a world where we hold human rights to a very high regard, no matter the nationality. The world has seen us suffer so much as we have seen them become martyrs for the political agenda they try to overthrow. On February 27th, 2012, the march will begin at the original Occupy camps and march towards the Capitol buildings in each state, town, or county. Once arriving at the destination, we will have a candlelight vigil to show solidarity. If you cannot keep a candle lit due to weather restrictions, you can use your cell phone lights, lighters and/or flash lights as a source of light. This march is to show worldwide solidarity with all Occupations including the Occupations people rarely speak of. Let us make this a special march. And as always, solidarity with our brothers and sisters all around the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhdYwkNzO44

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhdYwkNzO44

Anonymous: March Of Solidarity | February 27

website: http://anonyops.com/ facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anonyops/119328501493033twitter: http://twitter.com/anonyops_ In the light and expansio...

To see your Wall or to write on Member's Wall, follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/n/?occupysydney%2Fposts%2F319307264786647&mid=5a009ffG5af3c2452b8bG39144fG3a&bcode=Nh9iFjB6&n_m=occupysydney%40gmail.com

Occupy Sydney Placard Workshops & Activities

From the occupiers at 

Occupiers : ph 0416366126  ph 0410722000

Placard Making Workshops

nightly from 8pm if fine at Occupy Sydney, Martin Place & Macquarie

not happening on rainy nights 

• Bring your artistic talents  & join our Placard Making Crew
• Bring Paints Textas & Art Materials
• Bring Your ideas & join us putting Unity back into community.

Chess

Wet or fine there's always time for a game of chess with the occupiers at Occupy Sydney in Martin Place. So come on down, day or night. Game on.

Meetings, Workshops and Experiences

• occupy the love : Meditation 7am 2pm & 9pm daily at Martin Place
• General Assembly : 6-30pm Saturdays Mondays Wednesdays
• Informal discussion on Fridays at 6:30
• Amazing political discussions all day and all night, strike up a conversation with the lovely occupiers.
• Dinner Parties from 9pm 'til 6am every night of the week :]
• Public Library; read donated books under the shade of the trees.
• Barrett's stand up comedy whenever Barrett happens to be around.
• Plenty of Vitamin D provided by the beautiful sun!
• Various working groups: check the calendar at occupysydney.org.au
• Opportunity to speak to passers-by about why you are part of this movement.

Occupy Sydney:: Defending against Tear Gas

  Occupy Advocates worldwide should consider and be prepared for pro Corporate Police commands to order that police officers deploy Tear Gas against our peaceful convergences for change. As demonstrated in Oakland Melbourne Sydney San Diego and other jurisdictions, many police commands consider that their executive authority extends to crushing peaceful dissent. 

 As a peaceful movement for change, while we do not advocate violent protest we DO NOT SAY that we should passively accept violence initiated by the State or others against us. OccupySydney advocate awareness of defensive strategies to render teargas attacks by State Police less harmful. This is one way of minimising harm:

Was NSW Police attack on Occupy Sydney lawful?

 At about 5am Oct 23 I doing the allocated the task of police liaison person at The Occupy Sydney site in Martin Place. Most camp occupiers were sleeping. There were about six to eight occupiers awake and there were also at least two visitors A person who was part of the occupier group suddenly came running over to the camp yelling " quick Police.Get the video cameras out. Immediately a large contingent of police appeared moving quickly from the direction of Hyde Park to my right.They formed a line about ten metres distant to the Occupy Area Eastern perimeter. A senior officer with a loud hailer summarily announced (to the effect) "you are in breach of (legislation name, offence: illegal camping) & have ten minutes to gather your posessions and move away." I walked directly to the senior officer making the announcement and was the closest non-police party to him.At no stage did the officer offer any peaceful solution nor did he allow a reasonable or humanly possible timeframe in which to comply with his "orders". The amount of property needing to be removed would have required at least an hour to collect and remove.From the end of the police officers announcement a period of only about 5 minutes expired before police attacked without warning. Several people including women were punched while held by multiple police officers. People were screaming in obvious pain as police visibly and roughly applied excessive force in wristlocks and other holds. 

• Police knowingly issued orders which Occupy Sydney protesters could not comply with while ensuring the safety security of our posessions. Is it legal for police to issue directives with which people cannot reasonably comply, then act to enforce them? 
• People have the right to act to protect property from a clear and imminent threat even when that threat is as a result of imminent actions by police. We believe that Occupy Sydney people arrested and charged including with incitement had the right to protect their property.
• Police enforcement of the City if Sydney camping regulations a pretext to deploy unreasonable force. 
• NSW Police ignored Homeless Protocol to which they are signatory in evicting Occupy Sydney.Basic common law principle is that a law applying to any group applies to all/
• Police did not act on a single complaint including from Council or Banks. 

NSW Police eviction of Occupy Sydney Protest amounts to  draconian illegal and possibly corrupt use of Police powers.

 What can we do??

1. File a complaint with ICAC . Any legals wishing to discuss email occupysydney@gmail.com 
2. Look at other legal avenues to deal with police interference with peoples rights to protest.

Tell the World about Occupy Sydney your Way

 Fresh off the press and just tested we announce @OccupyMartinPl  the ONLY place where you can live Tweet from the #occupySydney Peoples voice ...say it your way


Its simple & you dont have to have a Twitter account -for non twitter people remember 140 character limit...


Heres How


go to http://bit.ly  (make sure you're not signed into your own account-or sign out)


click sign in: 


Account name : occupyMartinPl


password: MartinPlace


type your tweet into the grey box -it doesn't have to include a link.


press send ..


your tweet appears in the timeline of @occupyMartinPl