MoveUP Supports “Occupy Vancouver”: Non-Violent Movement for a Fair and Just Society

October 12, 2011

Beginning this Saturday, cities across Canada will be “occupied” as the Occupy Wall Street movement for a more equal society continues to spread across North America.

MoveUP will be participating in the kick-off Occupy Vancouver General Assembly on Saturday at 12:00 PM at the Vancouver Art Gallery and is encouraging members to take part.

The Occupy movement is based on the principle of non-violence and the Occupy Vancouver movement has been explicit in its commitment to non-violent protest and creating a safe space for everyone’s voices to be heard. Members are encouraged to bring their families: a Kids Zone will be available.

“We’ve seen over the past several weeks that ordinary people from all walks of life can work together to fight for a more fair and just society,” said President David Black. “Non-violent occupy movements have sprung up in cities across North America and Saturday is the beginning of our opportunity as Lower Mainland residents to stand up as part of the 99%, the people our system isn’t working for.”

MoveUP is joining labour unions across North America who have expressed support for the Occupy movement and its associated rallies. In a statement released Wednesday, BC Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair said, “The Occupy Wall Street movement expresses an underlying desire for fairness, equality and opportunity in the economy and our society. The BC Federation of Labour stands in solidarity with that desire, and calls on the governments of British Columbia and Canada to act swiftly and decisively to narrow the gap.”

Black added, “As a labour union we know that not only have our members not shared in the promised returns from these policies of deregulation, privatization and low corporate taxes – these concepts are used against our members at the bargaining table in attacks on our rights, pensions, benefits, health care, and wages.”

“The point of this action is clear: the global system of finance and those that are running it have created a system that doesn’t work for the rest of us. Hence the ‘We are the 99%’,” Black noted.

Occupy Wall Street began more than a month ago, and has been carried on in other US cities for several weeks. While the Vancouver movement is kicking off with a large show of support on Saturday, the intent is to continue peaceful occupation until real changes are made in our economy to serve the rest of us instead of the 1% who have enjoyed the benefits to this point.