Die Neue Zeit
12th November 2011, 15:51
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1674696.php/German-activists-emulate-Occupy-Wall-Street-tent-city
By Teresa Dapp
Berlin - German activists trying to emulate the US movement Occupy Wall Street have set up a small tent city near the government quarter in Berlin, hoping that politicians will hear their message against corporate greed and poverty of the masses.
About a dozen tents have been erected on private land on the banks of the city's Spree river, overlooking the Reichstag parliament building and government ministries. The area also features restaurants, cafes and bars popular with tourists.
'Yes we camp,' - a pun on the famous 'Yes we can' slogan used by US President Barak Obama in his 2008 election campaign - is emblazoned on an umbrella alongside the tents.
Activists, including students, pensioners and jobless people, gather daily at the site to discuss their movement, which - like Occupy Wall Street in New York - remains leaderless and without clear goals.
'The point at the moment is to collect questions, without providing answers too quickly,' said Roman Asriel, 35, who recently lost his job as a salesman.
Daniel Muetzel, a 26-year-old student, takes a sip of tea and says: 'We want to stick it out as long as possible.' After just one night in the tent, he says his father keeps questioning his decision to join the protest movement.
'Of course we could meet in a cafe, but we are building genuine infrastructure here,' he said.
Protesters plan to form a human chain around the government quarter on Saturday. In Frankfurt, activists will form a similar chain around the city's famous financial district, which is home to many German and international corporations as well as being the seat of the European Central Bank.
The movement is gearing up for winter, when temperatures in Berlin easily dip into double digits below zero.
Private donors, including a camping equipment store, have provided tents, covers, and sleeping bags. The tent city also has a kitchen with a stove and a fridge.
Occupy Wall Street started in New York in September, when protesters occupied the city's Zucotti Park, which now looks like a refugee camp. They want the US government to increase taxes on the country's richest 1 per cent of citizens.
In Germany, the movement has won support from two established political parties, the Greens and the Left Party. Both have called on their supporters to join the planned demonstrations in Berlin and Frankfurt on Saturday.
The activists are using Facebook, Twitter, blogs and e-mails to ensure maximum turnout on Saturday.
Their efforts to be noticed are paying off, as even German government spokesman Steffen Seibert has sent them his regards in a message on Twitter.
But Asriel is unimpressed. 'If they meant it, they would have given us a camp,' he said.
By Teresa Dapp
Berlin - German activists trying to emulate the US movement Occupy Wall Street have set up a small tent city near the government quarter in Berlin, hoping that politicians will hear their message against corporate greed and poverty of the masses.
About a dozen tents have been erected on private land on the banks of the city's Spree river, overlooking the Reichstag parliament building and government ministries. The area also features restaurants, cafes and bars popular with tourists.
'Yes we camp,' - a pun on the famous 'Yes we can' slogan used by US President Barak Obama in his 2008 election campaign - is emblazoned on an umbrella alongside the tents.
Activists, including students, pensioners and jobless people, gather daily at the site to discuss their movement, which - like Occupy Wall Street in New York - remains leaderless and without clear goals.
'The point at the moment is to collect questions, without providing answers too quickly,' said Roman Asriel, 35, who recently lost his job as a salesman.
Daniel Muetzel, a 26-year-old student, takes a sip of tea and says: 'We want to stick it out as long as possible.' After just one night in the tent, he says his father keeps questioning his decision to join the protest movement.
'Of course we could meet in a cafe, but we are building genuine infrastructure here,' he said.
Protesters plan to form a human chain around the government quarter on Saturday. In Frankfurt, activists will form a similar chain around the city's famous financial district, which is home to many German and international corporations as well as being the seat of the European Central Bank.
The movement is gearing up for winter, when temperatures in Berlin easily dip into double digits below zero.
Private donors, including a camping equipment store, have provided tents, covers, and sleeping bags. The tent city also has a kitchen with a stove and a fridge.
Occupy Wall Street started in New York in September, when protesters occupied the city's Zucotti Park, which now looks like a refugee camp. They want the US government to increase taxes on the country's richest 1 per cent of citizens.
In Germany, the movement has won support from two established political parties, the Greens and the Left Party. Both have called on their supporters to join the planned demonstrations in Berlin and Frankfurt on Saturday.
The activists are using Facebook, Twitter, blogs and e-mails to ensure maximum turnout on Saturday.
Their efforts to be noticed are paying off, as even German government spokesman Steffen Seibert has sent them his regards in a message on Twitter.
But Asriel is unimpressed. 'If they meant it, they would have given us a camp,' he said.