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| May Day Occupy protests - live coverage | May Day Occupy protests - live coverage |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 9.17am: Occupy protesters have gathered outside the Bank of America tower at Bryant Park. Others are headed for the Chase Bank HQ at Park Ave and 48th St. | |
| Barricades surround the entrance to BOA. Employees being asked to show ID. Dozens of police present including counterterrorism officers. | |
| — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 | |
| Pretty good-sized turnout at BOA picket. Apparently numbers are low at Chase though so reinforcements are en route. Following them. #M1GS | |
| — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 | |
| 9.11am: For a full schedule of planned rallies and protests in New York City, today, visit the "NYC Full Schedule of Permitted and Unpermitted May Day 2012 Actions" at OccupyWallStreet.org. | |
| 9.08am: Protest picket sites include the New York Times building. | |
| #m1nyc #m1gs #mayday one of the #99pickets. Outside of the New York Times building campl.us/jckU | |
| — Lindsay/Osorio 2012(@VotePSL) May 1, 2012 | |
| Mother Jones has a map of planned protests around the country today. | |
| 9.05am: A May Day notice from Anonymous. | |
| ╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱ ╱┳┳┓┏┓┓┏╱┳┓┏┓┓┏╱ ╱┃┃┃┣┫┗┫╱┃┃┣┫┗┫╱ ╱┛┛┛┛┛┗┛╱┻┛┛┛┗┛╱ ╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱╱ ★ May 1 - goo.gl/c1yzS #M1GS #Mayday | |
| — Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) May 1, 2012 | |
| Here's a widely circulated rally poster calling for a General Strike: | |
| 8.57am: A dispatch from Bryant Park: | |
| A number of pickets are now underway.Protesters are circling in front of Bank of America as police look on. #M1GS | |
| — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 | |
| There are 53 confirmed picket protests this morning. Protesters are preparing signs and getting ready to head to those locations. #M1GS | |
| — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 | |
| 8.55am: Occupy protesters are getting wet this morning – and looking for the sun to come out this afternoon. | |
| The rain won't stop us! (Besides, it's supposed to be be 73 and sunny by this afternoon. Come on out!) #OWS #M1GS #M1NYC | |
| — Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallSt) May 1, 2012 | |
| 8.50am: Moira Herbst writes in the Guardian that the American labor movement needs to reclaim May Day: | |
| Since the late 19th century, some of the wreaths and adornments have given way to banners and flags, as 1 May has become International Workers' Day. Workers throughout the world hold marches and parties to celebrate solidarity and the common goal of achieving better working conditions and better lives. | |
| But American workers, for the most part, have been left out of the festivities. At the height of the cold war, May Day was considered too radical, too "Soviet" perhaps, and the American Federation of Labor itself wanted distance from it. In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower went so far as to declare 1 May "National Loyalty Day". Loyalty to one concept of America, that is – not worker solidarity. | |
| 8.45am: My colleagues Ryan Devereaux and Adam Gabbatt filed a story about preparations last night for the OWS General Strike today: | 8.45am: My colleagues Ryan Devereaux and Adam Gabbatt filed a story about preparations last night for the OWS General Strike today: |
| About 80 Occupy Wall Street organisers are gathered in the stuffy basement of a lower Manhattan office building to discuss the final stages of the movement's most anticipated action this year. | About 80 Occupy Wall Street organisers are gathered in the stuffy basement of a lower Manhattan office building to discuss the final stages of the movement's most anticipated action this year. |
| On a pair of tables in the corner of the room sit stacks of Occupy literature – magazines and newspapers produced by protesters – as well as stickers, posters and fliers: all propaganda for May Day, a nationwide day of action calling on the public to abstain from work, school, shopping, banking and household chores. | On a pair of tables in the corner of the room sit stacks of Occupy literature – magazines and newspapers produced by protesters – as well as stickers, posters and fliers: all propaganda for May Day, a nationwide day of action calling on the public to abstain from work, school, shopping, banking and household chores. |
| 8.40am: The New York Police Department sent around an internal memo yesterday to prepare officers for today's protests. The memo lists planned protests and describes tactics protesters are expected to use. The memo advises that the Occupy protests are distinct from rallies to be held by organized labor, "expected to participate in their own customary May Day rally (which has occurred since 2004)." | 8.40am: The New York Police Department sent around an internal memo yesterday to prepare officers for today's protests. The memo lists planned protests and describes tactics protesters are expected to use. The memo advises that the Occupy protests are distinct from rallies to be held by organized labor, "expected to participate in their own customary May Day rally (which has occurred since 2004)." |
| Among the planned Occupy rallies the police memo lists are a "wildcat march" beginning at 1pm on East Houston St.; a "Bike Bloc" to take over the streets beginning at 9am at Union Square; an "NYC Hoodie March Against Police Violence"; and a BBQ in Ft. Greene Park. The memo also notes that rallies are planned for Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square. | Among the planned Occupy rallies the police memo lists are a "wildcat march" beginning at 1pm on East Houston St.; a "Bike Bloc" to take over the streets beginning at 9am at Union Square; an "NYC Hoodie March Against Police Violence"; and a BBQ in Ft. Greene Park. The memo also notes that rallies are planned for Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square. |
| "There are fissures within OWS," the NYPD memo notes, "but a 'respect for diversity of tactics,' which includes everything from peaceful protests to the kind of vandalism directed at Starbucks in April, when demonstrators tried to smash the windows at the Starbucks location at Astor Place, has been embraced by the movement." | "There are fissures within OWS," the NYPD memo notes, "but a 'respect for diversity of tactics,' which includes everything from peaceful protests to the kind of vandalism directed at Starbucks in April, when demonstrators tried to smash the windows at the Starbucks location at Astor Place, has been embraced by the movement." |
| Occupy has published its own slate of events for the day. Here's a (sort of blurry) picture from Nick Pinto of the Village Voice: | Occupy has published its own slate of events for the day. Here's a (sort of blurry) picture from Nick Pinto of the Village Voice: |
| Just got my free program. #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat… | Just got my free program. #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat… |
| — Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012 | — Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012 |
| 8.37am: The Occupy movement has called on protesters to participate in a General Strike: stay home from work and school, skip the chores and take to the streets. Rallies are happening in Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square. | 8.37am: The Occupy movement has called on protesters to participate in a General Strike: stay home from work and school, skip the chores and take to the streets. Rallies are happening in Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and Union Square. |
| To follow the action on Twitter watch #m1gs, #m1ows and #ows. | To follow the action on Twitter watch #m1gs, #m1ows and #ows. |
| Here's the scene right now in Bryant Park: #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat… | Here's the scene right now in Bryant Park: #OWS #m1nyc twitter.com/macfathom/stat… |
| — Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012 | — Nick Pinto (@macfathom) May 1, 2012 |
| Some protesters looking for a meetup at the Brooklyn Bridge also are headed to Bryant Park. | Some protesters looking for a meetup at the Brooklyn Bridge also are headed to Bryant Park. |
| Nothing happening at Brooklyn Bridge. Heading up to Bryant Park. #M1NYC #OWS | Nothing happening at Brooklyn Bridge. Heading up to Bryant Park. #M1NYC #OWS |
| — C.S. Muncy (@CSMuncyPhoto) May 1, 2012 | — C.S. Muncy (@CSMuncyPhoto) May 1, 2012 |
| The Guardian's Ryan Devereaux will be providing updates from Bryant Park. | The Guardian's Ryan Devereaux will be providing updates from Bryant Park. |
| Just arrived to Bryant Park. Getting a sense of the scene. I'll be providing an update on @democracynow in about ten minutes. #ows #M1GS | Just arrived to Bryant Park. Getting a sense of the scene. I'll be providing an update on @democracynow in about ten minutes. #ows #M1GS |
| — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 | — Ryan Devereaux (@RDevro) May 1, 2012 |
| 8.15am: Good morning and welcome to our live blog coverage of Occupy demonstrations on this May Day. We'll be covering protests in New York City, across the United States and around the world. | 8.15am: Good morning and welcome to our live blog coverage of Occupy demonstrations on this May Day. We'll be covering protests in New York City, across the United States and around the world. |
| May Day is a pagan festival of fertility marking the beginning of summer. Since the late 19th century the day has also been a milestone in the workers' rights movement. If you work an eight-hour day – or if your employer at least pays semi-plausible lip service to an eight-hour day – then you have occasion to celebrate, for it was on 1 May, 1886, that the protests began that would make the 8-hour workday the law. | May Day is a pagan festival of fertility marking the beginning of summer. Since the late 19th century the day has also been a milestone in the workers' rights movement. If you work an eight-hour day – or if your employer at least pays semi-plausible lip service to an eight-hour day – then you have occasion to celebrate, for it was on 1 May, 1886, that the protests began that would make the 8-hour workday the law. |
| On this 1 May , New York City has woken up to a better rain than we've had for weeks. It's good for the farmers, as they say. Both supporters and detractors of the Occupy movement will be watching to see how many protesters turn out today as a gauge of the strength of the movement. | On this 1 May , New York City has woken up to a better rain than we've had for weeks. It's good for the farmers, as they say. Both supporters and detractors of the Occupy movement will be watching to see how many protesters turn out today as a gauge of the strength of the movement. |
| I wonder if this rain is going to slow down the May Day protest?? OWS seems to protest in ANY weather condition. | I wonder if this rain is going to slow down the May Day protest?? OWS seems to protest in ANY weather condition. |
| — Lauren (@listentolala) May 1, 2012 | — Lauren (@listentolala) May 1, 2012 |
| Our reporter Ryan Devereaux is out with the protesters already in New York, where marches and rallies are planned throughout the day. | Our reporter Ryan Devereaux is out with the protesters already in New York, where marches and rallies are planned throughout the day. |
| Here's a summary of the latest developments: | Here's a summary of the latest developments: |
| • Huge May Day marches have unfolded in Asia and Europe. Thousands turned out to demand higher wages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, according to the Associated Press, while around 100,000 marched in Moscow and 2,000 in Greece. | • Huge May Day marches have unfolded in Asia and Europe. Thousands turned out to demand higher wages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, according to the Associated Press, while around 100,000 marched in Moscow and 2,000 in Greece. |
| • New York police raided the homes of at least three Occupy activists and "interrogated residents about plans for tomorrow's protest". Gawker reports: "They asked what I was doing tomorrow, and if I knew of any activities, any events—that was how the conversation started," said activist Zachary Dempster. | • New York police raided the homes of at least three Occupy activists and "interrogated residents about plans for tomorrow's protest". Gawker reports: "They asked what I was doing tomorrow, and if I knew of any activities, any events—that was how the conversation started," said activist Zachary Dempster. |
| • Favorite headline so far is in the Murdoch-owned New York Post: "OWS 'May' get ugly out there." The story lede also works in "mayhem." Hats off. The coverage is alarmist but the pun-ny bone is intact. | • Favorite headline so far is in the Murdoch-owned New York Post: "OWS 'May' get ugly out there." The story lede also works in "mayhem." Hats off. The coverage is alarmist but the pun-ny bone is intact. |