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Occupy Queen Street - this weekend at 3pm

Occupy Wall Street - be prepared to get stuck under a cop Occupy Wall Street - be prepared to get stuck under a cop
Fri, 14 Oct 2011 5:08p.m.
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By James Murray

If I was going to occupy a part of Auckland to stage a dramatic protest, I probably wouldn't choose Aotea Square. I would get in the way of people going to the theatre.

But that is what an as yet unknown number of people plan to do this weekend as part of the Occupy Auckland protest, set up in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protest.

I would have plumped for Bastion Point, with the history that entails, but then again there may of course be some legal difficulties there!

If you haven't heard of Occupy Wall Street you must live inside some sort of lead-lined box, either that or you genuinely have to sleep in a park in a sleeping bag. You're definitely not Kanye West.

I don't have room to explain everything here but the links below should help fill you in.

Today, I spoke with Rogan, who is part of the Queen Street protest. He was kind enough to give me a phone interview, but wanted to stress that the views he expresses in the interview are his own and he is not a spokesperson for a movement he describes as "leaderless".

Click on the video tab above to listen to our phone interview. We discuss the details of the protest, Rogan's own reasons for joining the protest, economic and political injustices in New Zealand that Rogan believes form part of his protest and have a wee debate about whether New Zealand suffers from the same level of inequality as the US.

If you would like to join the protest this weekend. Get down to the bottom of Queen Street before 3pm on Saturday. Bring a sleeping bag and supplies. There are protests planned throughout New Zealand - check the Facebook page linked above for more details.
James Murray's blog
We are increasingly using new forms of media to get our news. From the news websites of television stations and newspapers to blogs and social networking sites, information has never been so readily available.
 
But new media is very much a frontier technology with Wild West morals to match - can we trust these news sources and how do they affect the national debate? Does new media bring us closer together or drive us further apart?
 
Views on the news looks at the stories at the cutting edge of the media.
 
You can email James at jamesmurray47@gmail.com
 
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James Murray is the former Chief Editor of 3news.co.nz and currently travelling and seeking his fortune in the UK. He will be blogging from the new Slow News Day site from now on, as well as posting content for Views on the News where appropriate. If you wish to contribute to Slow News Day click submit after clicking the link.


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comments: 8
paul
21 Oct 2011 10:22a.m.

But what do the protesters actually want? There's lots of talk of "fairness" and "equality", which is fair enough. But what specifically do the protesters want to happen? What would they consider to be a successful conclusion to their protest?

michele
19 Oct 2011 03:19p.m.

national represent corporates and corporate greed,
3 years of cuts and taxcuts to the rich while tax raised for the rest with gst making the cost of living higher.
nats out!!

matt
16 Oct 2011 02:18p.m.

Do these people not have jobs to go too? I guess that's why they find they have less money then most...

Hamish
15 Oct 2011 06:00p.m.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, the police overseas have shown great restraint, how will the NZ police react if this drags out? Big game tonight, wouldnt want the world to see past our facade of one happy 100% green, safe non racist country. The NZ police are not actually known for restraint. Go the protesters and go the Welsh!!

H
15 Oct 2011 03:39p.m.

Another show if inequality specific to New Zealand - IT IS NOT RIGHT THAT THE PRICE OF A BLOCK OF CHEESE HAS more THAN DOUBLED IN 4 YEARS. THIS IS TAKING FOOD RIGHT OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF CHILDREN HERE - THIS IS NOT RIGHT! NZLANDERS PAY THE HIGHEST PRICE IN THE WORLD FOR THE PRODUCTS OF THEIR LAND, WHILE LIVING IN A NON EQUIVALENT ECONOMY. THIS MUST CHANGE. A LEG OF LAMB IN NZ GROCERY STORE = $ 70 NZ A LEG OF NZ LAMB IN LOS ANGELES CA= $ 40 NZ THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

Alex
15 Oct 2011 12:42p.m.

Ngaire: Simply not buying a product from a company you don't like reduces people to nothing more than consumers. We're not consumers; we're citizens. And with that comes democratic rights to organise and protest to change the world for the better. Not buying a product also removes the burden from businesses who are the ones actually responsible for their practices.

Fellowes
15 Oct 2011 11:44a.m.

Go the protesters!

Ngaire galagher
14 Oct 2011 10:08p.m.

Just don't buy from the multi nationals or whatever company you are objecting to. Much more powerful that sitting in your sleeping bag



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