Occupy Canada stages protest on Parliament Hill
Posted May 5, 2012 05:46:29 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
About 150 demonstrators took over Parliament Hill on Saturday afternoon, demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper step down.
It was a demonstration organized by Occupy Canada, a Facebook group with about 41,000 members.
Protesters chanted, sang revolution songs, and made speeches on the steps of Parliament.
There were demonstrators of all ages; the crowd ranged from young university students to families with young kids.
Organizer Jon Allan said people traveled from London, Toronto, and Montreal to be at the rally.
“Our democracy is being undermined by the current government,” said Allan.
“We’re calling for accountability and we’re calling for Stephen Harper to resign.”
Another demonstrator who called herself “Eveready the Kamikaze Clown” said people must follow their hearts to repair democracy.
“This is the Occupy love tent,” she said, gesturing to the pink, tent around her upper body.
“I think love is still the answer. Occupy your heart. Love one another, love the earth, love what you love and take care of it,” she said.
There was some tension between the Occupy Canada group which organized the demonstration and the former local Occupy Ottawa group.
Some of Ottawa’s Occupy activists said they were not consulted about the rally and were not pleased with how it was organized.
Local activists said they have changed the name of their movement to Occupied Ottawa and said their crowd will be back out next week.
Shane Davis-Young said Occupied Ottawa will be holding a demonstration downtown on May 12.
“We are going to be setting up in a camp, in a park, in Ottawa,” said Davis-Young, with a smile.
Davis-Young would not disclose the location, only adding it will be central.
