London Calling

[marmar]

Occupy Wall Street-Style Protests Spread to Britain
by William Kennedy





LONDON — A young woman spray-paints the final letter on a floral-patterned sheet. Unfurled it reads: "Occupy London, 15 Oct, occupylsx.org."

The small group of assembled activists applaud its look. “I love the kitschiness of it. It’s so ‘Laura Ashley’ English — perfect for a protest,” one says, namechecking the British brand known for its prim-and-proper fashions.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests on the other side of the Atlantic, demonstrators plan to establish a tent city in London’s City financial district next weekend.

Protests aimed at policies on Wall Street have spread to 45 cities across the US as consistently large crowds continue to occupy the financial district in New York City. NBC's Lilia Luciano reports. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/10/10-3

[dipsydoodle]

1. Whereas the original piece on London is here about two weeks ago

It reports on the FB page/group : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8794169/Protesters-plan-to-occupy-London-Stock-Exchange.html

[Lizzie Poppet]

2. K+R

Great news!

[dipsydoodle]

3. Hopefully it will be more peaceful

than when Greenpeace decided to visit the International Petroleum Exchange which is down the road apiece by Tower Bridge.

What they were not prepared for was the post-prandial aggression of oil traders who kicked and punched them back on to the pavement.

“We bit off more than we could chew. They were just Cockney barrow boy spivs. Total thugs,” one protester said, rubbing his bruised skull. “I’ve never seen anyone less amenable to listening to our point of view.”

Another said: “I took on a Texan Swat team at Esso last year and they were angels compared with this lot.” Behind him, on the balcony of the pub opposite the IPE, a bleary-eyed trader, pint in hand, yelled: “Sod off, Swampy.”

>

Protesters conceded that mounting the operation after lunch may not have been the best plan. “The violence was instant,” Jon Beresford, 39, an electrical engineer from Nottingham, said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article515384.ece

[myrna minx]

4. K&R n.t

[Bonhomme Richard]

5. That's great. Side note, I had beers Sat night with the guy that....

did all the album art for The Clash, including London Calling. Your title caught my attention.