[OccupyComms] 5th Nov Re:

Mon Sep 23 14:54:40 GMT 2013

PS 

Ironically for Nov 5th re blank white flags / banner idea - in London some of us used plain white placards and banners as part of a campaign against restriction of protest around the Houses of Parliament in 2005-2007 (under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act individual and collective peaceful political self-expression within 1KM of Westminster was criminalised, unless you got a licence to protest from the police). 

We campaigned using blank white placards because the police would arrest us if we wrote anything on them, which made everything really surreal and it definitely inspired people. 

I always thought the blank placard was also a really potent symbol for a new society, and then later white flags and all kinds of surrender (while still standing up for justice) got suggested which also made lots of sense and then, more recently i read the Roman Senator quote (about the white armbands and slavery) and the whole idea it made even more sense.  

Incidentally, if there is any interest the URL peopleincommon.org (ignore the front page of it which is a dead project) which was used for the same campaign in Parliament Square is totally up for grabs for Nov 5th if anyone likes the name and wishes to utilise it. the group (PIC) is defunct so no problem with using it. 

It's a pretty good name for what we are about imho, and you can see what we used it for politically, in the UK context from 2005-including the blank placard which is featured at http://www.peopleincommon.org/archive/archive.htm

And  http://www.peopleincommon.org/archive/C421.html 

Let me know if anyone wants to take it and run a bit with it

Cheers and Salaams 

Mark

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

-----Original Message-----
From: marknbarrett at googlemail.com
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:52:46 
To: rachel mariner<rachelmariner at gmail.com>; Chris Keene<ckeene107 at gmail.com>
Reply-To: marknbarrett at googlemail.com
Cc: occupylondon<occupylondon at lists.riseup.net>; <occupycomms at email-lists.org><occupycomms at email-lists.org>; rdwg at googlegroups.com<rdwg at googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [OccupyComms] Cambridge / Norwich Occupiers ?

Cheers for info on this everyone who  has kindly replied, both off list and on. 

And especially to Rachel for posting the Les Mis poem and about the white flag / armband idea for Nov 5th. I don't know what you mean about not being a proper activist though - what's one of those ? To sort the world out, all the human diversity (and however active, or not we have been in the past), and all the different thoughts, ideas and talents we bring to the table are and will be needed. We all need to be active, and say / do our piece! 

Peace and love

Mark 

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone

-----Original Message-----
From: rachel mariner <rachelmariner at gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 11:33:06 
To: Mark Barrett<marknbarrett at googlemail.com>; Chris Keene<ckeene107 at gmail.com>
Cc: occupylondon<occupylondon at lists.riseup.net>; <occupycomms at email-lists.org><occupycomms at email-lists.org>; rdwg at googlegroups.com<rdwg at googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [OccupyComms] Cambridge / Norwich Occupiers ?

Hi all - we do have a few people and a Facebook group :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/camocc/

I would LOVE to get together, meet up and plan  . . .

I don't think the Norwich Occupy group is active anymore but Chris Keene is
a great activist who went with me to Durham to meet with the Dean there
about Winter Carnival. He is a peach and he is cc'd as well.

What I don't have handy is a connection to student activists. they may all
have become economics or law majors and are gunning for the 1%

The poem is actually the epilogue of Les Mis  - the song Do You Hear The
People Sing - but the lyrics at the end are different:

Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise

I love the white flag idea because it captures the climbing toward the
light. I also like the slight dissonance of a white flag - associated with
surrender - marched forward. Because the only way to bring peace is to
bring peace. Is to not fight. So I loved it. But I was scared to write to
everyone about it, Mark, when you suggested because I am not a proper
activist, etc.  There it is now.

With love and thanks for all of you!

Rachel

On Sun, Sep 22, 2013 at 9:36 AM, Mark Barrett
<marknbarrett at googlemail.com>wrote:

> A comrade from Manchester who is moving to Cambridge has asked me if there
> is an active Occupy group,  or if we know any Occupy supporters there she
> can connect with. Also I am thinking of moving, and have the same question
> re Norwich.
>
> Please can anyone advise if they know anyone suitable to make contact with
> in either place or any info on local Cambridge / Norwich Occupy groups ?
>
> Thanks :)
>
> Mark
>
> _______________________________________________
> OccupyComms mailing list
> OccupyComms at email-lists.org
> https://www.email-lists.org/mailman/listinfo/occupycomms
>
>

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