Occupy Auckland protesters won’t leave Aotea Square

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Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:03p.m.

Occupy Auckland protesters have camped out in Aotea Square for the past 33 days

Occupy Auckland protesters have camped out in Aotea Square for the past 33 days

By Elizabeth Puranam

The Occupy movement that started in Wall St two months ago has spread around the world, but many people are still unsure of exactly what the protesters want.

One thing that has emerged is their own form of communication.

Tonight in Aotea Square, the occupiers were voting on what to do about the Auckland Council’s request that they leave.

The some 2,400 occupy movements around the world are all using the same hand signals to reach consensus.

“There are seven basic hand signals,” an occupy Portland protester explains in a video posted to YouTube. “The first is ‘twinkles’ – this is to show agreement with something. The second is ‘down twinkles’, which is to show disagreement with something that is said.”

There is also the direct response, the clarifying question, point of process, wrap it up and the block.

“[The block] means you’re completely against what is being suggested and that if it goes through, you may leave the camp,” occupier Izak Greywolf explains.

The Occupy Auckland protesters have camped out in Aotea Square for the past 33 days.

“We are here because there is massive inequality in our society – economically and politically,” says spokesman Chris Glen.

“We don’t have all the answers. We’re saying, ‘Hey, look, we have problems in our society and we want to start questioning those problems’.”

What the occupiers do have is their own unique form of communication.

Tonight, they blocked the council’s request to leave and twinkled their fingers at Glen’s proposal to stay.

So the occupiers will send a message to the Auckland Council that they don’t’ plan to leave Aotea Square.

It’s now up to the council to make the next move.

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Comments

25 Nov 2011 07:50p.m.

pete kiley wrote:

Our Lawyer stated that Westpac Bank broke the property law act and STOLE our Picton home, all the facts are in our book. Good on the protesters

21 Nov 2011 09:48a.m.

milly wrote:

So its ok for these protesters to give up their jobs and become full time activists therefore requiring benefits? Protesting about inequalities especially re child poverty is fine but this protest has no agenda. One person going on hunger strike will achieve nothing and no one really cares any more as this whole protest has never had any actual plan. What sickens me is a person giving up a job, camping out and refusing to support their own child any more as they have no money and have decided that the child doesnt really need the money any more! I know names cant be mentioned but how hypocritical is that? Go home, get a job and support your families.

20 Nov 2011 12:25p.m.

judynz wrote:

Zena, are you one of those stirrers hoping to turn the public against the protesters???
Let me tell you dear I too was an idiot. I am of the age of those who allowed our local & national politicians drop their `PUBLIC SERVANT' title and become a `LAW UNTO THEMSELVES'. This must stop. We the public not only provide them with their jobs we pay their wages.
It is time to put them back in their place & insist they do their job of protecting & providing for us.

They are not living up to what the public believe they are paying them to do therefore there is no lawful contract between them & the public.

They must buck up or GO.

17 Nov 2011 11:46a.m.

Anon wrote:

That guy at 1:23 looks like a young Phil Goff LOL

17 Nov 2011 10:28a.m.

Chargone wrote:

zena: that'd be a lot more reasonable if those jobs existed and if the system weren't set up, in it's entirety, to block as much change as possible unless backed by a significant chunk of the economic and political elite. current (and previous) government economic policy has been actively gutting NZ's ability to produce jobs and grow the economy. there's a limit to how far one can get in such an enviroment. there are two times at which any leader or governing body must question their current course of action: when the vast majority of those who follow them disagree with their plans, or when they receive overwhelming support. in both cases, something is amiss. sometimes it is that the prevous state of affairs was so broken that the change is absolutely required... more commonly it is that the idea in question is poorly explained, poorly executed, just not good in the first place, and/or Someone's getting overly enthused with the propaganda. the Occupy movement, so far as i can see looking at it from the outside, is a significant 'you're doing it wrong' indicator. if everything was working properly, you would not have this many people will and able to disrupt their day to day lives to protest. they'd be more worried about getting their work done, getting payed, and getting on with life. a lot of NZ's problems would be much reduced with more sensible economic policies.

17 Nov 2011 10:22a.m.

Todd wrote:

Oh Zena your naivety and ignorance is amazing but not uncommon. The beauty of it is, is that you and a the majority on NZers who don't get it will, soon. You will understand when you either lose your job, or still have a job that doesn't pay enough to keep up with the rising costs of living. Good luck.

17 Nov 2011 08:31a.m.

zena wrote:

If Chris Glen and his bunch of unemployed campers are concerned there is "massive economic inequality in our society" then just maybe they just take a look at all the REAL WORKING POPULATION OF NZ that actually have a job and create an economy, rather than bludge of it,that pay taxes and know how to put in a hard day of work. Protesters who sit around making up hand signals are a waste of space and quite frankly why our police force don't have the balls do move them out of Aotea centre- a place that was designed for arts and culture, not a camp ground...is beyond me. If it was a bunch of kids camping out they wouldn've been moved long ago. Why doesn't anyone tell them to get lost or go someplace that we don't have to be subjected to their stupid mentality. If they were seriously interested in making a change- they'd find a more productive way to do it.