25 October 2011

Support for Occupy Movement Continues to Grow as Wellington Occupiers Welcome the All Blacks

The Occupy Wellington movement looks forward to welcoming the All Blacks Parade in Civic Square tomorrow, according to the group’s website.

Spurred on by the public support shown by around three hundred people at the group’s Labour Day event yesterday, the group have announced that they will be providing face-painting, refreshments, food, and a hospitable atmosphere for All Blacks fans present at Wednesday’s post-RWC celebration.

“After the overwhelmingly positive response we got from RWC fans passing through Civic Square on Sunday night, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow’s celebration.” says Richard, a supporter of the Wellington Occupy movement.

“Lots of the Occupy supporters are avid rugby fans, so I was really glad to be able to paint faces and offer a relaxing place for people to hang out as they went to and from the game. I’m looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.” Richard says.

The Civic Square camp has continued to grow over the last several days, now containing around 60 tents.

“We’re working very closely with the Wellington City Council and the Police to ensure that we’re not interfering with the public enjoyment of the area. We’d like to offer as much hospitality as possible, and I’m going to help out with the cleanup before and after the parade.” says Ben, another supporter of the Wellington group.

The Occupy Wellington Labour Day event attracted more than 250 people, featuring a range of workshops, academic presentations, children’s activities, musical performances, and free food.

Around midday, several hundred supporters participated in a Special Assembly to democratically decide on details of the afternoon’s event. The group employed the “human microphone” technique developed in the Occupy Wall St movement, allowing mass communication without electronic amplification.

Consensus was quickly established when a small child stood up and proposed that there should be a parade, resulting in 150 Occupy movement supporters parading down Cuba Mall handing out cupcakes and copies of the first issue of the group’s newsletter, the “Occupied Dominion Post”.

ENDS

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