Nottingham Post: Old Market Square protesters determined ...

Old Market Square protesters determined to see it throughWednesday, November 02, 2011

Nottingham Post

Protesters have now been in the Old Market Square for nearly three weeks. But who are they - and what are they actually hoping to achieve? Alexander Britton reports...

PROTESTS usually conjure up images of people chanting on the streets as they try to make a difference.

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   Protesters in Old Market Square

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But the Occupy Nottingham protest is a case apart.

Around 50 people have been in Old Market Square since October 15, but rather than bringing their drums, loud-hailers and banners with them, they have brought tents and leaflets.

So why are there not only people who are maintaining the protest but others who are joining it?

One relative newcomer is Rose Baxter, an 18-year-old from Long Eaton, who joined the camp on Friday night.

Miss Baxter, who does charity work for Treetops Hospice and skin disease charity Debra, said she believed the Government had let her generation down.

She said: "I'm not relying on the Government to provide a future for me, but they are preventing our generation from showing their potential.

"Raising the tuition fees was a mistake, cutting benefits will have awful consequences on those who rely on them to live – and I want people to take notice of the fact that those who need help the most are being sidelined and that's not right.

"At the same time, the richest one per cent are continuing to wield all the power and have all the money. It just doesn't seem right to me."

Miss Baxter added she found it hard at first to adjust to life at the camp, but that everyone had made her feel welcome.

She said: "It's difficult camping in the Square because during the evening you get drunks shouting at you and trying to break things. I'm sure they're fine during the day, but at night they are different people.

"But we have people in the camp doing security shifts and looking out for one another, so I'm not afraid."

Some of the campers are jobless, while others are in employment. Some are homeless and some aren't. Some of them don't spend their entire time at the camp but say that doesn't mean they are not committed to the cause – because they can still promote it outside the site. Everyone contributes whatever skill they have, be it organising, cooking or poster-making.

Steven, 29, of Lenton, said he was motivated to join the campaign by the contrast between the rich and the poor.

The former University of Nottingham student said: "It just can't be right that there are people starving on this planet when others have too much to eat. There's too much inequality; billions are spent on wars and this needs to change.

"We're expressing solidarity with people the world over. The fact there are hundreds of similar occupations shows that we aren't the only ones who believe things need to change."

Occupy Nottingham is protesting against the depth of Government cuts, the influence of banks in the world and a perceived lack of concern for issues such as the environment. The protesters say their aim has always been to stage a peaceful protest which will continue until they have "made a difference".

"Something like this has never been done, at least not in my lifetime," said Rachel, a 33-year-old public sector worker who has been involved with the camp since the first day.

"We're planting seeds in people's minds – people are interested in what we have to say.

"There are those who feel angry at the way big companies seem to avoid paying as much tax as they should, those who are angry at the scale of Government cuts and those who are jobless and just feel as if their futures are non-existent.

"As each day passes, we have more and more people come to the tents and we're all happy to answer any questions they have and make them think about the world and how things could be different."

But how does the group think this change will come about?

Rachel added: "People can and do make a difference. We're not here to cause a nuisance, we're here to spread a message that people can take on board if they want to.

"We're not a group of unemployed students living off the state – that's an absolute myth – we're people who believe in people's will to see things change."

For now, both the police and the city council seem content to let the protest to continue.

A police spokesman said that there had been no arrests at the camp and that there had been no signs of trouble.

He said: "We haven't put on any extra patrols at night because of the protest in the Market Square, but officers are making sure they are safe."

A council spokesman said the authority was "monitoring the situation", although it felt the protestors had made their point.

Protestor Carl Freeman, 42, of Lenton, who has worked as a fitness instructor and martial arts teacher, has been at the camp from the start.

He said: "When we started the occupation we told the council and the police what we were planning to do because we want to be good neighbours.

"We don't want to stop the people of Nottingham from enjoying the public space here because it's theirs and ours; it's everyone's.

"It's been cold, it's been wet, but the sense of community here is strong and we will welcome anyone who wants to talk to us and join us."

'We're here to wake people up, get people thinking'

Ashleigh Jones, 23, is a freelance graphic and website designer from Sherwood who has lost two jobs this year. He has been helping to organise the camp.

"We are not anti-capitalists, we are just saying the capitalist system is corrupted," he said.

"We are here to deliver a message and wake people up about what is going on in their country, to get them to start thinking about where their taxes go or whether the Government is really acting in their best interest.

"There is no hierarchy system here. None of us is in control.

"We are not preaching a solution. We all need to come together and come up with a collective solution to fix things.

"They are not going to get fixed by the current Government.

"We are only getting started. I've only spoken to a couple of hundred people – that's not enough.

"My dream is that we fill the Market Square by spring next year."

Mike Keena, 39, is a father from Sneinton. He was working with youngsters, "trying to give them a bit of a direction and a purpose in life", but lost this job due to funding cuts.

"We are slowly changing the world," he said. "It's a worldwide issue and I feel very proud to be part of it.

"The democracy we are said to live in now is a lie. It's got to get worse before it gets better."

Maxima Bunting is a costume-maker who is involved in a skill share and time bank scheme in her community.

She says this represents a successful alternative to the traditional buying and selling of goods and services.

Nicole Bradley, a public sector worker, is not convinced that Occupy Nottingham will actually bring about a direct change.

"But I see it as a part of a bigger thing, a bigger picture," she said. "Cumulatively, things may change."

Occupy campaign

CAMPAIGNERS are currently 'occupying' more than 950 cities around the globe as part of their protest.

The movement was sparked by the Occupy Wall Street protest, which has seen Americans camping outside New York's financial district since September 17 and calling for greater equality.

Other Occupy protests have taken place in 82 countries, including South Africa and Australia, and in Hong Kong.

In the UK, the largest camp is outside St Paul's Cathedral in London, with hundreds of people gathering to protest against capitalism.

Outside the capital, other occupations are taking place at Victoria Square in Birmingham, St Peter's Square in Manchester and College Green in Bristol.