More than a year ago, on December 16th, I posted the following lines to my tumblr blog dealing with the protests and rediscovering the streets as a medium of making a statement:
Now, as the year is coming to an end, the question I raised back then has to be answered with a clear YES! TIME Magazine’s Person of the year is The Protester. Thus, 2011 is going to be mentioned in history as the year as society started to awake from a deep deep sleep.
As I wrote the lines some month back, I actually did not expect that so many movements with various aims, ideals and backgrounds would form and stand up against something.
The aims of these groups are as diverse as these movements. Starting in north Africa where people fight against tyranny and dictatorship, followed by protest in Spain of the idignados who where fed up by 20% unemployment, especially among the young (40%). A lost generation, which then decided to occupy public space for stating their points. I was lucky to witness the actions in Madrid where within days a central square mainly used by tourists was transformed into a camp, information centre, a library, childcare, etc having an own infrastructure. An action, which brought somehow brought back the use of public space of the Greek Agora into times where the neatness and commerce stands far above the usability of space in a city.
In summer, riots in the UK shocked a whole country and probably the world after a black family father has been killed by policemen. Although not being an organised form of protest, these riots showed how tense the situation between the rich and the poor in cities is nowadays.
In New York city, an at first sight small movement called Occupy Wall street developed. Also this movement reclaimed public space in form of a park (which actually is privately owned). The idea of occupy! spread fast. Although Occupy is almost put to a halt the moment (at least on the streets). I’m sure in 2012 something comparable is going to rise out of this idea. Beside these movements, several other protests and assemblies occurred: India, China, Greece, Syria, Bahrain and the most current one…. Russia.
2012 is gonna be…. Interesting.
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