As Occupy London continues to weather the shortcomings in coverage from some corners of the media, the number of high-profile supporters, participants and advocates remains on the rise. Recent visitors include comedian Mark Thomas, musician Billy Bragg, Crack Capitalism author Professor John Holloway and playwright Alan Bennett.
At the Bank of Ideas, Bragg hosted a workshop on political songwriting, while Mark Thomas performed material from his satirical People’s Manifesto show and expressed his support for possible solutions to overcome domestic fiscal strife – including the Tobin tax on financial sector transactions. On Friday, Alan Bennett met with activists and dedicated specially signed copies of his books to the Occupy London library at St Paul’s.
Jenny Jones, London’s Green Party mayoral candidate, spent the night at the St Paul’s camp and reiterated her support for the campaign. Writing on her personal blog, Jones said Occupy London has done well to raise the issue of social iniquities and the problems of greed in the banking sector and kept these issues in the media spotlight – noting that these achievements are of ‘supreme importance’.
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker also recently commented on the movement, defending activists against criticism from some quarters. In an interview in The Observer, he stated: ‘…because some people were saying about those protests at St Paul’s that the alternatives aren’t thought out. But if you don’t like something, you don’t necessarily have to give a point-by-point analysis of how it should be changed.’
Elsewhere, an online petition has gathered support for the Occupy movement from over 1,000 trade unionists and further backing was expressed in a letter published with signatories such as politician Tony Benn, journalist George Monbiot, CWU general secretary Billy Hayes, activist lawyer Louise Christian, NUS president Liam Burns and Dr William McAvoy from the University of Sussex. The letter argued that the global Occupy movement resonates with millions of people across the world who agree that while the 1% enrich themselves, the 99% are suffering.