Occupy Sheffield ~ We are the 99%

Occupy Sheffield has written the following in response to the latest press statement from Sheffield Cathedral:

Happy New Year! We have big plans for 2012 and so do you. We hope that those plans can co-exist peacefully. There have been and continue to be headwinds, both natural and man-made, but we believe that the issues we are attempting to highlight are still a very real problem in our society. We continue to be actively engaged in the cause and feel it would send the wrong message if we were to pack up and go at this point.

The situation remains the same; we will continue protesting as long as the financial structures which caused this economic crisis remain. We cannot relent while the corporations continue to exert undue influence on politicians and while a tiny minority of the global population wields a frankly hideous proportion of wealth. It is not a love of camping which causes us to occupy your forecourt in the depth of winter. We are here because the scale and depth of this crisis demands that we make a stand!

It has always been important to us to be good and responsive neighbours – and although on some matters we have agreed to disagree, we are proud that in the last 2 months, there have been no on-camp incidents with any serious negative consequences. However, once the current storms have passed, it is our intention to rearrange the camp and create a more open and welcoming environment for the general public. This will involve reducing the number of smaller tents and rearranging the larger marquee to create a more public area.

As you will be aware, we are hosting the 3rd National Occupy Conference on 21st/22nd January, and it is our intention to use the Citadel of Hope as the main conference space. There may be a small increase in the number of tents on this weekend as we will be accommodating some of the conference delegates at the camp. Please be in no doubt that safety of all our visitors, and yours, has been and remains paramount.