Forget the bailout, we are the problem
“We cannot solve our problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them.”
- Albert Einstein
This past April Fools Day, the leaders of the G20 nations met in London, England to come up with solutions to the financial crisis they've created in collaboration with the worlds banking elite. It was Barack Obama's first overseas trip, and instead of open arms he was met with violent protests and signs that read “Yes we can overthrow the government” and “We are your crisis.”
In Britain, and many other nations around the world, people are beginning to see through the false hope of the Obama administration and rejecting him as just another puppet of his partners on Wall Street. People everywhere are waking up to the fact that all of our political leaders are powerless, and that the real rulers of the world are those who control capital. The major financial institutions and transnational corporations are really the ones who hold power over our lives and use their power to control our governments.
Obama was given more campaign money from Wall Street than any other presidential candidate in history, and immediately after being elected he repaid them with trillion dollar bail-outs. In the UK, the Royal Bank of Scotland had to be bought out by British taxpayers after it nearly went bankrupt by gambling away everything in risky investments.
The former CEO of this bank was not charged with anything, instead he was given several millions of dollars in bonuses and pensions out of tax payers money, while unemployment skyrockets, and thousands of people's homes are repossessed by these same banks. His name is Fred Goodwin, and his mansion and Mercedes were recently vandalized. Anger at the banks and financial elite in the UK is reaching unprecedented levels, and the threat of serious social unrest is growing daily.
People are out of work, out of a pension and many have lost their homes, while the government of Britain continues to spend billions on a war that most Brits disagree with. The government has also failed to take any serious action on climate change, which has infuriated many environmentalists and driven thousands to take serious direct actions against airports, coal plants and other ecological catastrophes.
All of these currents have merged into a mass movement against the current world order. In preparation for the G20 summit in London, thousands of posters urging people to ‘Storm the Banks' were circulated by ‘G20 meltdown', and storm the banks they did.
Even with every single London cop on duty, tens of thousands took to the streets and clashed with riot police, pushing back their line, then anarchists smashed the windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and stormed inside to destroy their computers and light fires. Police cars were also targeted and disabled, as the crowds cheered.
While this was happening thousands of environmentalists converged on the European Climate Exchange to protest carbon trading schemes and other false solutions to climate change. “First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money — with disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very future of life on earth — and once again our governments are cheering them on,” said organizers of the Climate Camp.
They shut down the climate exchange building and created a massive climate camp by setting up hundreds of tents in the middle of the road, riot police later violently attempted to remove them.
As usual cops used, what I see as, excessive force against protesters, shooting CS gas, pepper-spray, and cracking heads with batons. Many victims of this police brutality chose to defend themselves by throwing back bottles, swinging poles, and tearing off police helmets, and knocking over police officers.
Street battles continued into the night, and banks continued being targeted by their angry victims. From London to Greece, France to Iceland, resistance to economic slavery is spreading.
Revolution spreads like wildfire, and the sparks are everywhere. People are angry for very good reason. Those who seek profit at the expense of the well being of common people and the environment are about to face a real crisis; it is us.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
- Albert Einstein
This past April Fools Day, the leaders of the G20 nations met in London, England to come up with solutions to the financial crisis they've created in collaboration with the worlds banking elite. It was Barack Obama's first overseas trip, and instead of open arms he was met with violent protests and signs that read “Yes we can overthrow the government” and “We are your crisis.”
In Britain, and many other nations around the world, people are beginning to see through the false hope of the Obama administration and rejecting him as just another puppet of his partners on Wall Street. People everywhere are waking up to the fact that all of our political leaders are powerless, and that the real rulers of the world are those who control capital. The major financial institutions and transnational corporations are really the ones who hold power over our lives and use their power to control our governments.
Obama was given more campaign money from Wall Street than any other presidential candidate in history, and immediately after being elected he repaid them with trillion dollar bail-outs. In the UK, the Royal Bank of Scotland had to be bought out by British taxpayers after it nearly went bankrupt by gambling away everything in risky investments.
The former CEO of this bank was not charged with anything, instead he was given several millions of dollars in bonuses and pensions out of tax payers money, while unemployment skyrockets, and thousands of people's homes are repossessed by these same banks. His name is Fred Goodwin, and his mansion and Mercedes were recently vandalized. Anger at the banks and financial elite in the UK is reaching unprecedented levels, and the threat of serious social unrest is growing daily.
People are out of work, out of a pension and many have lost their homes, while the government of Britain continues to spend billions on a war that most Brits disagree with. The government has also failed to take any serious action on climate change, which has infuriated many environmentalists and driven thousands to take serious direct actions against airports, coal plants and other ecological catastrophes.
All of these currents have merged into a mass movement against the current world order. In preparation for the G20 summit in London, thousands of posters urging people to ‘Storm the Banks' were circulated by ‘G20 meltdown', and storm the banks they did.
Even with every single London cop on duty, tens of thousands took to the streets and clashed with riot police, pushing back their line, then anarchists smashed the windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and stormed inside to destroy their computers and light fires. Police cars were also targeted and disabled, as the crowds cheered.
While this was happening thousands of environmentalists converged on the European Climate Exchange to protest carbon trading schemes and other false solutions to climate change. “First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money — with disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very future of life on earth — and once again our governments are cheering them on,” said organizers of the Climate Camp.
They shut down the climate exchange building and created a massive climate camp by setting up hundreds of tents in the middle of the road, riot police later violently attempted to remove them.
As usual cops used, what I see as, excessive force against protesters, shooting CS gas, pepper-spray, and cracking heads with batons. Many victims of this police brutality chose to defend themselves by throwing back bottles, swinging poles, and tearing off police helmets, and knocking over police officers.
Street battles continued into the night, and banks continued being targeted by their angry victims. From London to Greece, France to Iceland, resistance to economic slavery is spreading.
Revolution spreads like wildfire, and the sparks are everywhere. People are angry for very good reason. Those who seek profit at the expense of the well being of common people and the environment are about to face a real crisis; it is us.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
