Published Date 10/25/11 8:05 PM
At protest camps, after a time it’s inevitable that things fall apart. At St Paul’s (Occupy 2011) today we had the health and safety rep shouting and waving petrol cans around while unscrewing the top in the middle of a crush of tents. “We must shut this down now.” He had a point, but this was a person at the end of his tether.
The London occupation has reached the stage where those who have taken responsibility are starting to burn out, this happens with all protest camps, the danger is these key people can be the kindling that burns the camp to the ground. How do we put fire breaks into our organising structures?
Sometimes we need to open up spaces. By stepping aside, we open the space for someone to come in to fill it. If we believe in self-organisation, then this moment of disorder is a healthy part of OUR society.