[OccupySheffield] March Spring Call Out

[Mark Barrett]

 Hey Everyone at Occupy in the UK, Ireland and Elsewhere !

Two messages here :)

(1) About March European Strike and May World Days of Action
 (2) About the Move Your Money Campaign

We need your support ! Let's self-organise the March Spring !

*(1) Call for Spring Days of Action - Please distribute widely

*- The OLSX General Assembly has recently endorsed the call for UK and
wider European day(s) of action in March
- There are call from the wider Occupy movement for a world strike in May

Some of the thinking behind the March call at this stage is as follows:

- We are calling for informal meetings between members of Occupy and local
Union leaders and rank-and-file to explore ways of taking either or both of
these forward together
 - We are looking to find ways of working constructively in partnership
with unions, student campaigners, faith, environmental and other local
community groups

- Individuals from a number of London Occupy working-groups are proposing a
March pan-European strike, ideally to be called and organised by a
partnership of Occupy, unions and others ( and this day of action could
also work on the national UK level)
- It is provisionally proposed the call would be for an unprecedented
national and international mobilisation 'against cuts / austerity and job
losses' and 'for new models of democracy in the uk / a social europe'
involving unions and Occupy and other local movements together from the
start

- The need to strategically nationalise and internationalise the struggle
against the global forces of capital (eg debt/bond market) has never been
more urgent
- Europe and the UK with their increasingly technocratic / neo-liberal
governance and crippling levels of debt are now shaping up to be key global
battlegrounds in the fight for real democracy
- If unions, student campaigners, faith and local community groups and
Occupy UK joined forces what we could achieve in terms of social change
would be phenomenal

- The days of action currently being proposed are for Friday 23rd March,
followed by a new wave of newly purposeful camps and occupations being set
up on Saturday March 24th and 25th ( all out against the cuts, for a 3 day
weekend and a new model of democracy...)

- Our hope is that with a big day of action immediately after budget day,
to unite unions, student and other community groups around a common agenda
we can effectively begin the process of re-founding the UK and  Europe
around a common agenda for workers, the precarious and unemployed, and
provide a springboard to the global strike in May.

- The lead up to the days of action could perhaps involve 'thematic'
assemblies across the country in workplaces, neighbourhoods and educational
establishments ( co facilitated by Occupy, unions and others) in order to
speak and listen together about the real issues and to discover
alternatives. As Giles Fraser's article puts it today on the need for a
widespread conversation on the issues:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/12/occupy-starfish-regenerate-protest?newsfeed=true


[March 21st is budget day, March 26th is exactly one year on from 'March
for the Alternative' and March 25th is both the Anniversary of the Treaty
of Rome which founded modern Europe and of the British Parliamentary
abolition of the slave trade. The week March 21st-March 28th also has
Christian significance (the Annunciation) and marks the beginning of the
year in the northern hemisphere (Spring Solstice).]

To communicate more with the WG developing this call in London, email
crdlondon at gmail.com or text 0785439 0408

*(2) Move Your Money  Campaign*

If you want to reach Danni about this great idea ( attached in more detail
and below) and which could presumably link with March 23-25 ..) please
email her direct at danielle.paffard at gmail.com

Dear all,

I've been on the edges of the occupy stuff, but great work.

I'm in the process of setting up a 'Move Your Money' campaign. It's not an
'occupy' campaign as such (as the bristol MYM is - I'm talking to them
about this), but is part of working towards the same goals, and I think a
useful way to engage the wider community (those who care but aren't at the
camp) in some positive direct action.
Anyway - the website with all the info will launch early Jan, building
towards a 'Move Your Money Month' in March (right after the bonuses are
announced!).

I just wanted to let you all know in case anyone else was thinking along
the same lines and to pool resources rather than duplicate!

Anyway - if anyone is interested/has any questions please contact me on
danielle.paffard at gmail.com. I'll go through working groups from now on.

All my love and strength and peace to you all.

x xDanni

-- 
Love, Rage and Solidarity

Apathy is Dead !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/
www.peoplesassemblies.org
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