Occupy Exeter Protesters Set Up Camp at Cathedral – Why? #occupylsx
Seriously why? Why are the Occupy protesters setting up camp outside another bloomin’ Cathedral? Can anyone enlighten me?
The group calling themselves “Occupy Exeter”, in tribute to similar movements which began in New York and spread around the world, staged a protest march from the High Street in Exeter to the Cathedral on Saturday.
Video shows the protesters marching and shouting slogans such as, “this is what democracy looks like”, on the way to the Cathedral to set up their camp.
The Cathedral has been forced to issue the campers guidelines.
Tags: Church Life, News, Politics
November 14th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
There has been a real invigorating in the OccupyLSX camp by its new found dialogue with St. Paul’s Cathedral, as far as I am aware.
The engagement of St. Paul’s with the Occupiers and the willingness to take seriously the ideas of the camp and the right to protest (even though particuilar demands and methods may not be to the Cathedral’s liking) has been a real boost to Occupy in the UK.
I do not think that the Occupy Exeter group are seeking protest against the Church (though I cannot state that categorically), but rather the movement is beginning to see the Church as a powerful ally in the fight against corporate immorality and excesses.
I believe that there have been small Occupys outside other Cathedrals also.
November 14th, 2011 at 2:59 pm
By what I can see, the ‘camp’ on Exeter cathedral green is only occupying a small part of what is effectively a large ‘public’ space. Yes, it is owned by the Cathedral Chapter, being the old burial ground for the city centre church(es), and it has been for some time an alcohol free zone. The cathedral green is the Exeter equivalent of (say) St. James’ Park in London. A place where people come to eat lunch, relax and chill out in summer.
What interests me more is the opportunity for specific Christian input into the wider discussion brought into focus over the past few weeks.
“Where would Jesus be, inside the cathedral, or outside with the protesters?” is one of the questions on the ‘facebook’ link.
Surely the answer to this is:- neither! Rather than take sides, He would sit down, and when His followers come to Him He would begin to teach them saying “Blessed are the. . . . .” Read Matthew chapter 5.
(Which in another context ought to have been the basis of Remembrance sermons)
November 14th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
When welfare reform laws take full effect and the gradual and systematic dismantling of housing benefit result in mass evictions not only from private rents but also from social housing where will the dispossessed be allowed to pitch their tents.
Big Society definitely not a big tent.
November 14th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
@TerryB –
I would rather like to suggest that Jesus would be in both places: He spent time in synagogues and the Temple teaching, yet He also spent time befriending and speaking to the poor and dispossessed of His day.
I believe we as Christians can properly engage with the Occupy movement without necessarily supporting all of their methods or aims or getting into a “banker-bashing” exercise.
November 14th, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Exeter has a fairly substantial pedestrianised shopping area, which, if you wanted to make a statement about capitalism, would be the natural place to go. Though I imagine the security guards in the shopping centre might respond in a more vigorous way than the Cathedral has.
November 14th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Yeah, there are shopping centers – but they dont really have space to camp without getting in everyones way.
It looks like they’ve found a corner of the Cathedral Green which (from the looks of it) will stay out of peoples way, yet still be a visible presence.
November 15th, 2011 at 1:53 am
The embrace or evict conundrum is polarised political posturing of both the left and the right, the christian faith is strong enough to engage and defuse both political extremes, if the church leadership fails then they are in danger of being labeled partisan.
November 15th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Well they arent staying out of the way, they are nothing but wasters. clearly not working so I assume they are on benefits. As a condition of receiving those benefits they are meant to be looking for work and be able to prove it when they sign on.
They arent looking for work, they dont have jobs and its us taxpayers paying for them to sit there and do a poxy protest that wont even get listened to.
Im christian dont get me wrong, but I dont want to be giving them my hard earnt money through the taxman when they receive their dole money.
Theives & wasters. And what they are protesting for is nothing to do with faith or religion what so ever. its the government and the banks which caused all the trouble.
It has caused staff to leave their jobs at the cathedral and they need moving on. nothing but troublemakers.
November 15th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
@Sarah,
“Theives & wasters.” This is typical of Iain Duncan Smith’s and the Tax Payers Alliance’s assumptions and propaganda of benefit recipients.
Maybe you will be happier giving your hard earnt money through the taxman to the “theives & wasters” of the financial corporations while you curse the poor and dispossessed on the streets – if you can not tolerate a few misplaced tents then you most certainly will be unable to tolerate the destitution you are soon to witness on British streets due to the dismantling of subsistence welfare.
November 15th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
@Sarah
I meant they are physically out the way. They are not blocking any used public pathways where they are currently based. This is compared to the shopping centres where they could go.
Do you have a source about the staff leaving their jobs? Why did they leave their jobs?
November 16th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Can’t say for sure what the value or detriments will be when this is over. Suffice it to say there is a deep greed that exists in the financial system by its users; and, the depth and bias of protesting may well be brought into question after analysis.
November 16th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Time posted a piece on “How Most Protests End” that I thought to share.
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/11/16/how-do-protest-movements-end-they-win-or-they-fizzle/
November 17th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
@Cogwa Nashville,
The civil rights movements were force riveted on to the very structures that are now collapsing, consumer capatalisim and equality share the same foundation of economic post war prosperity – one falls the other falls.
Using occupylsx to predict political movement in the U.K. would be as much use as looking at the flow of the river Rhine to predict the political future of Germany in the nineteen twentys.
November 17th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
@Goy
Correct me if I misunderstand you, but are you saying that you do not believe that the Occupy movement is a powerful catalyst for change?
I am beginning to think that Occupy and the still powerful (in the US) Tea Party movement are coming out of desperate times and that as these political movements develop and take hold then we may well be seeing the beginnings of a global sea-change, if not full blown revolution (whether violent or non-violent).
November 18th, 2011 at 1:54 am
@Mark of Faith,
No they are not, looks more like they are lamenting the wounds of consumer capitalism than protesting to strike the final and fatal blow.
The revolution is not taken place at grassroots in Europe, the real revolution is within the political and professional class, economic technocrats seizing power in Greece and Italy, the U.K. governed by a coalition government put in power by what looked more like the manipulations of a coup than a democratic election.
Remorse is not revolution.
November 18th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
In many ways I agree with you Goy, but I can see the Occupy movement being a real player even if only in respect to galvanising the opposition to popular movements.
I believe the various strands of popular disobedience and greater authoritarian measures of government will bring a dangerous and heady mix to both UK and world political expression.
November 19th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
I called by the Exeter protest today and it was peaceful and well ordered. I was even offered a bowl of soup!
However, they do need to be aware that their ‘Information Desk’ was manned by two youngsters (late teens – early 20s) who were offending rather than informing! They had their own take on recent european history, and were bordering on rude to pertinent questions by another member of the public.
In conversation with one of their older supporters, he acknowledged that the Cathedral Green is the only place in Exeter where they could expect to stay for any length of time. The security and police presence in the shopping precincts would have moved them on within hours.
They are there, but I am not sure that they are acheiving much! Maybe they should brush up their ‘evangelism methods’. At present their ‘Information Desk’ will not make friends and influence people!!
November 22nd, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Please take a look at the links below your thoughts and opinions would be greatly received
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/please-dont-occupy-exeters-cathedral-green/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/99-Of-Exeter-Dont-Want-Occupy-on-Cathedral-Green/291611394195032