Though I’m not a prolific protest attendee, I decided to join in the Occupy Ottawa general assembly in Confederation Park Oct. 15.
I saw numerous familiar faces at Confederation Park from the recent protests I’ve attended against the Harper government in the summer and the tar sands in September. I got the sense that the crowd was mostly young and extremely politically active.
While the initial Occupy Wall Street protest in downtown New York City sparked these worldwide rallies and featured numerous police confrontations and arrests, the scene was much different in downtown Ottawa. There were no serious altercations and there’s little to suggest there will be any in the near future.
My own attendance at Occupy Ottawa wasn’t so much sparked by my personal politics but more so by my repulsion to the excessive tactics used by the NYPD in attempting to disperse Wall Street protesters.
Interestingly, it seemed the Occupy Wall Street protests were ignored by the mainstream media until the police attempted to evict the demonstrators.
As Occupy Ottawa continued into the work week undaunted by the poor weather, many of the participants I spoke to enthusiastically urged others to join, telling curious onlookers to come by and see first-hand the diversity and passion of the protesters.
A few participants candidly told me they expected a bigger turnout during the weekend. They said they hope their numbers will swell as they plan more concerted efforts in the coming days.
A huge chunk of the critical news coverage of these rallies has centred on the political motivations of the participants, with the most pointed criticism directed at the protesters’ ambiguous agenda and unclear path forward.
The participants countered that these rallies are more focused on building their movement. They’re using consensus decision-making to contrast the “undemocratic” system they’re fighting against.
While many commentators have casually dismissed these people as a result, thanks to social media, these protesters have been able to easily and effectively organize these rallies, indicating that regardless of the criticism, they can’t be easily ignored.
The use of pepper spray and the unnecessary police-initiated violent confrontations in New York showcased the injustice of a society in which poor and unemployed people taking to the streets in protest are treated as thugs. Those who perpetrated the reckless and criminal activities that propelled a disastrous crisis, on the other hand, sit unscathed and escape prosecution.
After seeing this, I decided to show up in solidarity with those brave enough to take to the streets and to tell those in power that these injustices wouldn’t be tolerated.
The National Capital Commission not tried to forcibly remove the makeshift tent city the protesters have set up, which judging by the peaceful actions of those camped out in Confederation Park seems to be the most logical move.
As for the police presence in Ottawa, they were respectful and not even remotely antagonistic, as they escorted protesters marching downtown on the weekend.