Newfoundland Joins Occupy Wall Street Movement

People gathered in Bannerman Park in St. John's today to plan the local instalment of Occupy Wall Street.

Inspired by the Arab Spring and Adbusters, the movement originated in New York where hundreds of dissatisfied citizens have been camping out for a few weeks already. With no formal leadership or organizing body, people have come together to demonstrate their exhaustion with "corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other concerns" (Businessweek). Additionally, increasing integration of corporations and government has been flagged as undesirable by this group.

As more and more cities across the United States and internationally join in the movement, mainstream media is beginning to pick up the story. Accusations against Facebook and other social networking sites have been made; some claim that pictures and stories about the protests are being strategically removed shortly after being posted.

In an expressed spirit of solidarity, protests will occur across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax on the same day. Locally in St. John's, the event will take place Saturday, October 15, at the Scotiabank complex on Water Street, which represents the closest thing to a financial district in Newfoundland's capital city. Over a hundred people are expected to show up.