London Stock Exchange targeted in October 15 protests

Campaigners opposed to the global financial system gathered in London Saturday as part of a united day of actions taking place in 951 cities in 83 countries around the world. Occupy London supporters were meeting in the capital's financial heartland and were expected to try to set up a rolling camp, similar to the protesters in Wall Street, New York, in Paternoster Square, where the London Stock Exchange is housed. Other events were also being held in around a dozen cities across the UK, including Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, Leeds in northern England, Birmingham in the Midlands, Norwich in eastern England and Bristol in the southwest. A spokeswoman for Occupied London, who preferred to be described as a supporter, told IRNA that the mass movement, which have already taken place in Greece and Spain, had “inspiration from the Arab Spring.” One of the similarities was that the movement has grown using the social network, with “more than 15,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter,” the supporter said. She was unwilling to say what form of action was being planned in London's financial district in order to foil counter-tactics by the police, only that decisions would be made during the gathering where to go or stay. “We are asking people who may want to stay to wrap up warm and bring a tent, sleeping bags, torches and plenty of food and water,” the supporter said. “It is a different form of protest. We are reclaiming space in the face of corporate greed in the financial system and using it to voice ideas for how we can work towards a better future, she said. “A future free from austerity, growing inequality, unemployment, tax injustice and a political elite who ignores its citizens, and work towards concrete demands to be met,” she told IRNA. The idea is to build a mass consultative body as a general assembly for all not only to air grievances, but to debate and understand the issue and come to a consensus.  The supporter said that banks and regulatory bodies would be welcome to join, as would be the government, which played an important role in creating the financial crisis.