They’ve outlasted snowstorms, hefty opposition, pepper spray, and even eviction, but it doesn’t seem like the Occupy Wall Street protesters are going anywhere for a while. In fact, this ostensibly contagious movement is spreading across the globe. Occupy Wall Street has continued to grow throughout the world, encouraging thousands of people from all over to voice their opinions on social and financial inequality, corruption and greed, and the influence of financial services of various large corporations.
As opposed to being strictly located in the financial district of Manhattan, protesters are taking their messages and opposition to the streets of many other cities including Fairbanks, Miami, Berlin, Sydney, Hong Kong, London, and many others. While each of the protests has carried its own pace, they all joined in on October 15th, when a global “Day of Rage” was observed.
The Occupy Wall Street movements are usually pretty peaceful, for the protesters believe violence would be an ineffective way of getting their message across. This led to some compassion from economic and political leaders on the Day of Rage. However, when the movement took the streets of Rome, Occupy Wall Street took a different turn. Protesters in Rome lit cars on fire, attacked multiple banks, and threw rocks, but they quickly learned that violence was not, and is not, the answer. The mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, stated that Rome would suffer long after the “moral damage” of the violent outbreaks.
The powerful words of the Manhattan Occupy Wall Street movement in support of the 99 percent have unquestionably caught the attention of many people and have started a global phenomenon. Protesters feel a disparity exists between pay of everyday working people and those working in large corporations or on places like Wall Street, who seem to be putting in less than what they are getting out. People from all over the world are joining together in an effort to speak for their mutual opinion on the unfairness they feel regarding the current economic disparity.
Watch the video below for a look into the global day of action of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, as well as a perspective from protesters themselves.