#Occupy Perth Press Release 11th October 2011 Plans for peaceful #occupywallstreet inspired gatherings in Perth are advancing in the wake of the success of Wall Street demonstrations going viral. With more than 800 twitter followers and over 500 facebook “likers” the #occupyperth is similarly gaining momentum.
We are announcing a PEACEFUL gathering at Forrest Chase, Perth City, October 15th in support of similar “occupy” actions worldwide on this day. We have for example received direct communication from #occupywallstreet #occupymanchester #occupyhouston #occupymelbourne as well as dozens of others taking action on this day.
Further to this, we are joining the CHOGM Action Networks protest on the 28th October.
For what do we gather? What do #occupyperth people have in common with the “99%” in the USA (and around the world)?
It is around the following questions/concerns that we are primarily focused;
* Why is it that the wealthiest 20% of Australians own 61% of the wealth, while the poorest 20% own 1% of the wealth?
* Why does our government spend $21b per year on defense, when we face no threat from any other country?
* Why is it that there are 925 million undernourished people in the world today (one in seven) while the US government spends more than US$1trillion a year on its war budget?
* Why are thousands of asylum seekers (4335 adults and 872 children in July 2011) imprisoned in Australian detention centres for the ‘crime’ of fleeing persecution?
* Why does one corporation (Murdoch’s New Corp Ltd) own 70 percent of this country’s print media?
* Why do corporations in Australia and internationally continue to have the relatively unchecked “right” to have the “externalities” of their business operations result in environmental degradation and human and animal exploitation?
* Why are these questions rarely raised in the mainstream media (and avoided by our politicians)?
Further details –
Web – http://occupyperth.org/
Twitter – @occupyperth
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/occupyperth
Email – occupyperth@gmail.com