Occupy is not dead. For much of the western world, the last few months have been a time of retreat, reorganization, and revitalization. The GA’s of the US and Europe have been hard at work expanding the literature and strengthening their ties to local communities.
The story is much different in other parts of the globe. 36,000 students in Montreal went on strike over excessive tuition-fee hikes. February 28th saw the world’s largest-ever strike in India, where ONE HUNDRED MILLION workers protested for better pay, safer workspaces, and employee rights. At least a 100,000 Bahrainis took to the streets of the capital Manama on March 9th demanding democratic reforms from the government. In Spain, heavy industry and transportation ground to a halt on March 29th due to worker revolt over a recent policy change of labor laws that made the hiring and firing of employees much less costly.
So what’s happening in our part of the world now? Occupy is getting ready for this spring’s kick off event, General Strike on May 1st. No work, no school, no housework (but I love housework), no shopping, no banking, and most importantly, TAKE THE STREETS.
May 1st is also International Worker’ Day. Commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, police fired on workers who were striking for the eight-hour workday campaign.
