International

by Jan Marijnissen, chairman of the SP

There is a spectre haunting the world, the spectre called ‘OCCUPY’. From Tunisia to New York, from Tel Aviv to Amsterdam, everywhere the tentacles of the spectre are appearing on the street. The spectre has no single face, because it is home to so many faces. OCCUPY was created on the Internet, on Facebook, its builders all driven by the same wish, the heartfelt desire to be done with the social inequality, the spreading greed, the destruction of all that is beautiful and all that is vulnerable, the undermining of public services, and the feeling of powerlessness, the feeling that nothing can be done about these things.

It is remarkable that it should have been the people of the Arab countries that set the example for this world-wide movement. Without knowing just what the outcome of their protest would be, but convinced that things could not go on in the same way any longer, their protests began, and to emphasise their determination they pitched their tents.

The demands may change from country to country, but the undertone is the same everywhere: those who think that they can lead the people, can govern the people, must realise that the interests of the people, and only the interests of the people, are what should be heard. What is common to these demands, in other words, is the desire for more democracy.
Democratisation of the political system, democratisation of civil rights, but also democratisation of the economy, of the church or mosque, is what is driving all of us.

Many are, through in particular the scandals in the global financial sector, beginning to understand that this neoliberal system, at home but also elsewhere, is doing more harm than good. The dominance of greed in the financial sector is an ugly thing, principally because it is ordinary people who bear the consequences of the crisis and because it is ruining our societies.

OCCUPY, the spectre of social progress - do what you must do, OCCUPY!