Common Dreams | October 14 2012

Day of action against policies hurting the global 99%

Saying “we will not be silent” against austerity measures, thousands took to the streets across the world to join in a “Global Noise” pot banging protest march on Saturday.

From New York to Buenos Aires, Helsinki to Melbourne, the global 99% brought a loud message against the world’s corporate elite.

“They have the power. We have the stength to take it from them.” Protesters in Malaga, southern Spain, October 13, 2012. (photo: Reuters/Jon Nazca)

While the focus of each march was locally decided, Global Noise explains that “one common theme running through all the #GlobalNoise events is the targeting of political and financial elites who are held responsible for destroying our communities and the planet, resonating the ongoing wave of anti-austerity protests in Europe and around the world. At the same time #GlobalNoise is a symbol of hope and unity, building on a wide variety of struggles for global justice and solidarity, assuring that together we will create another world.”

Describing the motivation for the protests, Caleb Maupin from the International Action Centertold RT in an interview, “Austerity is a crime against the people,” and says that austerity has struck the U.S. as well as countries like Spain. With banks being rewarded while people suffer, “we are going to rise up and demand a change to that situation,” said Maupin, because “people don’t have to pay for the crisis the bankers created.”

But why a casserole or pot banging march?  Occupy Wall Street states that “Historically, banging on a pot has been a universally understood means to gain attention. The casserole march has its origins as a means to call attention to problems facing the community that the power structure is not addressing, using a method that is hard to ignore.”

Global Noise protesters at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Tokyo. (photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Related articles

• #GlobalNoise Pot-Banging Protests Coming 13 Oct 2012 (globalfree.wordpress.com)
• Common Dreams Staff ~ Spain Anti-Austerity Protests Continue Into Second Night Following Clashes, Arrests (shiftfrequency.com)
• Global Noise takes on austerity: ‘We are not going to be silent’ – RT (2012indyinfo.com)