Occupy Wall Street has gone global today, with 951 cities spread over 82 countries joining in on the anti-greed protests with marches and demonstrations in an effort to enact "Global Change." And already, things are getting crazy out there: thousands took to the streets in various European cities from Berlin to Madrid, Julian Assange galvanized the crowds in London, and there have been widespread reports of rioting in Rome. “I have no problem with capitalism. I have no problem with a market economy. But I find the way the financial system is functioning deeply unethical. We shouldn’t bail out the banks. We should bail out the people,” Berlin resident Herbert Haberl told the Times.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons at rioting protesters who were smashing bank windows, setting cars on fire, and hurling bottles. The protests there were as much about the OWS movement as they were against the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who narrowly survived a vote of confidence on Friday. “We’re upset because we don’t have prospects for the future. We’ll never see a pension. We’ll have to work until we die,” said 18-year-old Alessia Tridici in Rome. Dozens have been arrested there, and at least two news crews from Sky Italia were reportedly assaulted.
Things were more peaceful in other cities: demonstrations were reported in 50 German cities, including thousands of marchers in Berlin. “I like the carnival atmosphere,” said Juhani Seppovaara, 64, a photographer and writer originally from Finland now living in Berlin. “But for me there’s a little too much populism, very complicated matters reduced to one or two sentences.” Frankfurt demonstrators reportedly used toy pistols to fire soap bubbles.
But the other big news of the day was the sudden, surprising appearance of reclusive WikiLeaks founder Julien Assange at the London Stock Exchange protests. He showed up at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, lending support to thousands of protesters before disappearing just as mysteriously. Among other things, he called the movement “the culmination of a dream.” Watch below:
According to the Daily Beast, this was the scene on the ground:
“Like all of you, I have had difficulties getting in here today,” he said. The crowd dutifully shouted back the words. “But there are many people who haven’t yet been able to get through.” The crowd, confused, mumbled half the line in response. Assange told the protesters that they were part of a movement “from Cairo to London.” He railed about how the law was being obstructed in Guantanamo Bay and about money laundering in the Caymen Islands and in London. “This movement is not about the destruction of law, it is about the construction of law,” Assange said. “I just wanted to say, we are all individuals.” The crowd cheered. A girl started tossing candy out at the protesters and Assange stepped in, grabbed a handful of treats and lobbed them into the crowd.
