Welcome To The Occupation
Refreshingly honest about their lack of a clear mission statement, decidedly anti-violence and in it for the long-haul, the unhappy campers of Occupy Dame Street are here to stay. Weather permitting.
Craig Fitzpatrick, 28 Oct 2011
“What is this raggle-taggle bunch of gypsies doing in front of the Central Bank?” ponders Finbar Markey as he stands in the shadow of the Central Bank Of Ireland’s infamous mushroom building. Markey is on the microphone for this Sunday evening’s General Assembly, speaking in front of a sparse crowd as the sun sets. It’s eight days since Occupy Dame Street set up camp, and the day after their first organised march moved from the Garden Of Remembrance through the capital. “This is an organic process,” he continues. “We aren’t coming here saying we have all the answers but we have a faith in common sense. Don’t be afraid to speak. Silence is what has brought us here. There’s an old saying from a long time ago that says ‘evil succeeds when good men stay silent.’ We have to stop being silent and understand our own value.”
With that summation of ODS’s spirit, he’s done for the evening. These assemblies take place twice daily, at one and six, offering people a platform to express their grievances. It’s just one small part of the larger movement inspired by Occupy Wall Street, the ongoing demonstrations that began in New York last month. Currently made up of 60-odd people permanently housed in 20-odd tents outside the symbolic home of the Irish economy, it is a passive people’s protest against political and economic corruption generally, and the IMF and ECB specifically. It aligns itself with no political parties, but has a spiritual link with the 1,400 occupations currently taking place globally. Alcohol and drugs are prohibited, whilst those involved do not hassle the general public and are under strict orders not to interfere with bank officials. It may be a bad time to be Gordon Gekko, or the Irish equivalent, but at least you won’t get lynched.
Markey and myself move to a two-man tent in the middle of the concrete camp site for a chat, though Markey is quick to point out that should the media approach them again, he will not be the one speaking. This movement does not need any leaders. It is at once a naive and admirable sentiment.
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