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| The Occupy Wall Street rallies started last month in New York’s financial district. |
Protests against widening income disparity are planned across the Asia-Pacific region tomorrow as demonstrators organizing via social media from Tokyo to Sydney join London in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
The rallies that began in New York on Sept. 17, where more than 700 were arrested, have already migrated across the U.S. to cities including Denver, Boston and San Francisco. The largest gatherings tomorrow are planned in London and Australia, according to organizers, who are hoping to harness networking sites such as Facebook Inc. to attract thousands.
“Many people are very inspired by what’s happening around the world and I know there are 1,300 people on Facebook saying they’re coming,” a spokesman for planned demonstrations in Sydney, Josh Lees, said today by telephone.
The Occupy Wall Street rallies started last month in New York’s financial district, where people have been staying in Lower Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park to protest inequality and demand higher taxes for the wealthy. About 4,000 people have signaled their intent to attend a peaceful demonstration that will start at noon tomorrow outside the London Stock Exchange, according to organizer Kai Wargalla.
In Sydney, participants intend to gather at Martin Place in the central business district at 2:30 p.m. local time and camp indefinitely “to organize, discuss and build a movement for a different world, not run by the super-rich 1%,” a statement on the Occupy Sydney website said. In Melbourne, people will gather as early as 10 a.m. at the City Square, said Nick Carson, a spokesman for Occupy Melbourne. “We’re expecting at least a couple thousand,” he said.
Democracy ‘Unwell’
“We face similar problems with our democracy here in Victoria and Australia as people face in most other developed nations,” according to the Occupy Melbourne website. “Our democracy is unwell.”
The Occupy Brisbane movement will start downtown at 9 a.m. at Post Office Square, according to a Facebook page for the event that didn’t provide contact information. Pages have also been set up for events in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Christchurch.
In Taiwan, more than 1,500 people have confirmed on the Occupy Taipei Facebook page they wish to gather at 10 a.m. tomorrow near the Taiwan Stock Exchange in the downtown central business district.
‘Being Controlled’
“We want to bring more awareness to the people about how we are being controlled, and how the markets are being manipulated,” organizer Kimba Vetten said by telephone.
At least three protests and rallies will take place in Tokyo, said D.J. Lortie, an English teacher and an organizer of a protest in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, in an interview by telephone today.
Lortie says the protests could range from 20 to 200 people, starting at noon tomorrow. The group will march for an hour to the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to show dissatisfaction over handling of the nuclear disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, Lortie said.
Another rally in Roppongi, near the headquarters of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), many attract as many as 400 people, Shoko Uchida, an organizer, said by telephone.
“We want to say no to the economic system that only seeks profit,” Uchida said. “Young people are really concerned with their future.”
Seoul Leaflets
More than 30 civic groups plan to demonstrate tomorrow in Seoul, according to a leaflet distributed by an organization calling itself “Preparation Group to Act for 99%.” The rally is planned for 6 p.m. in front of Seoul’s city hall, organizer Choi Young Jun said by telephone today.
Police have denied the group permission to protest, Choi said. Officials at the district police station in question refused to speak on the record about their plans when contacted by telephone.
In Hong Kong, gatherings are planned for tomorrow afternoon at Exchange Square Podium in the city’s central shopping and business district, according to Facebook postings.
“We want to protest against the political and economic system that has been inclined to the rich people,” Napo Wong, an organizer, said by telephone today. Wong said he expects at least 200 people to attend.
An “Occupy Raffles Place” page has been created on Facebook for protests in Singapore, referring to the city state’s central business district. The event is planned for 2 p.m. local time and participants intend to march toward the SGX Center, where local stock exchange is located, the page said. The Singapore Police Force, in an e-mailed statement, urged the public “not to be misled” into participating in an “unlawful activity.”
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