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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Social concerns occupy 'Peggers

Rally supports Wall Street protesters

By: Alexandra Paul

Posted: 10/16/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press Olivia Stein, 2, was at Occupy Winnipeg with her family.

Hundreds of Manitobans gathered near Portage and Main this afternoon as part of Occupy Winnipeg, one of a number of Canadian protests organized in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The crowd gathered in the square in front of 201 Portage Ave., formerly Canwest Place, under sunny skies following a march from the Legislative Building. Supporters held up cardboard placards and peacefully listened to speeches.

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John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press Protesters erect tents downtown in Memorial Park for Occupy Winnipeg on Saturday. (JOHN WOODS)

Occupy Canada protests across the country Saturday decried corporate greed and financial inequality.

A cross-section of the Winnipeg participants included university students, poverty activists, labour-union supporters, aboriginal people and people who don't normally march in the streets or camp out in city parks.

Tony Seaver, a human-resources manager, and friend (and employee) Christie Diakiw said they had to show up.

"We've been following the movement ever since it started in New York," Diakiw said.

Marchers set up camps on Wall Street five weeks ago, saying they were inspired by the Arab Spring mass demonstrations in the Middle East.

"I can say, for myself, I'm so happy to see a spark catching... a spark of hope. We've been a sleeping society, but even my mother yesterday surprised me. She really welcomed the information. I wouldn't be surprised to see her come down with muffins for everyone," Diakiw said.

Seaver said people's support globally is giving him hope, too.

"People aren't being complacent, and even though these are complicated issues, people are beginning to deal with them, issues from corporate greed to government complacency," Seaver said.

Artist and house-painter Jeffrey Kohut said he brought his sisters, his toddler nieces and his wife -- along with some friends and co-workers -- to the event as a symbolic call to arms for democracy.

"As citizens we can't just sit here and complain about corporate greed and government corruption without doing something ourselves," Kohut said. "This is an awakening to being responsible for your own life, your freedoms."

Participants planned to retrace their steps to the Legislative Building at around 4 p.m., followed by a sharing circle with participants in today's Slutwalk. They then expected to set up camp in Memorial Park.

Earlier in the day, organizer Trevor Semotok rallied the crowd by telling them the event has no single leader and no single issue. Everyone has a voice and shares an equal responsibility to safeguard democratic freedoms, said Semotok, from the Council of Canadians.

Some issues cited in connection with the event included social justice, the environment, government accountability and the dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Marches took place in a number of Canadian cities, including Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver, as part of a global event that called for 900 marches in 82 countries around the world Saturday.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca

Premier Greg Selinger on Occupy Winnipeg:

'They've really raised their concerns about the financial institutions being accountable to the citizens of Canada and to the citizens of the world for the way they do business and cause instabilities in our economies... For young people to rally to these very complex questions seems to be a healthy, democratic tendency'

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 16, 2011 A3

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