Occupy Wall Street Movement Spreads To Canada

 The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began last month in New York City, is quickly gaining pace and spreading to Canada. Toronto activists have said that they are planning similar demonstrations against corporate greed later this month.

The Occupy Wall Street protests started with a call to action on the blog of Vancouver-based advocacy magazine, Adbusters, in July. On September 17, protesters began occupying Zuccotti Park near the New York Stock Exchange. 

 The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began last month in New York City, is quickly gaining pace and spreading to Canada. Toronto activists have said that they are planning similar demonstrations against corporate greed later this month.

The Occupy Wall Street protests started with a call to action on the blog of Vancouver-based advocacy magazine, Adbusters, in July. On September 17, protesters began occupying Zuccotti Park near the New York Stock Exchange. 

Initally treated as a joke, the movement is slowly gaining traction. The protesters say they are taking their cue from the pro-democracy movements of the Arab Spring that have sprung up across North Africa and the Middle East. 

Related: Wall Street Blocked As Demonstrators #OccupyWallSt

On Sunday, the Canadian press reported that organizers in Toronto and several other Canadian cities plan to follow the lead of anti-Wall Street activists in the United States by taking to the streets later this month to protest the global financial system. About 3,200 people have “liked” the Occupy Toronto Facebook page on Sunday.

Occupy Toronto has yet to identify their exact grievances, but representatives of the protest have said online that “corporate greed is the root cause of every single issue on the table.” 

According to the website Occupy Together, Canadian protests are also being arranged in Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Montreal, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Protests are also said to be planned for Tokyo, five Australian cities, about ten European countries and most U.S. states. 

In a report by Xinhua news agency, about 800 protesters marched and rallied in downtown Los Angeles Sunday to show their support for “Occupy Wall Street” protesters in New York City. Approximately 500 protesters set up camp in front of Los Angeles City Hall and about 300 protestors marched through the streets of downtown Los Angeles with the slogan “We are the 99%”. 

Occupy Together bills itself as representing 99 percent of the population taking action “against the greed and corruption of the 1 percent.”