Stalwarts of Occupy: Janick

Regular OT contributor & full-time occupier Emma Fordham speaks to an integral member of Occupy London about life on camp & why he is here.

EMMA FORDHAM: Where are you from?

JANICK: I’m from France but I’ve been living in London on and off for 17 years. My name is Breton… old Celtic.

EM: When did you arrive at OLSX?

J: Mid-November

EM: What brought you here?

J: The politicians’ tricks disgust me. We pay tax and they spend it on war. I’ve been convinced for a long time that something like this needed to happen. Occupy LSX felt like the right thing, at the right time, in the right place. The camp is in the perfect location between the Cathedral and the Stock Exchange. I wanted to be part of it.

EM: What were you doing before you came to St Paul’s?

J: Immediately before, I was cycling in France. For years I’ve alternated working in London with travelling. I’ve worked as a bicycle rickshaw wallah and in kitchens. I’ve picked fruit and worn a sandwich board. I’ve travelled to countries like Nicaragua, Iran, China and Russia, all the time trying to learn from my experiences, to discover how things work in these countries, to grow and educate myself and gain new perspectives. A long time ago I worked in International accountancy in a bank, so I know that world too.

EM: What have you been doing while staying at the OLSX camp?

J: I’ve been helping in the kitchen, doing a little bit of everything. Preparing food, washing up and cleaning, sorting out the rubbish and recycling, providing hospitality to visitors… Talking to people and welcoming them, offering cups of tea…

EM: Is camping in the city a hardship or a joy?

J: I’m a mountaineer, so camping is fine! I gave up my flat to camp because I wanted to be a real part of the Occupy community.

EM: Of all the issues Occupy aims to address, what are the most important for you?

J: We need to sort out the shameless speculation of the ‘golden boys’… when they make mistakes they should pay for the mistakes, not us. They fabricated money and created a financial bubble that crashed and now they expect us to pay for their greed. They should be in court, not us.

EM: Tell me three things about the current system that you’d most like to change…

J: Stop corruption – break the link between politicians and finance. Implement real policies for social housing. Make banks work for the people instead of against them.

EM: How long do you expect to stay at St Paul’s?

J: As long as the camp is here – fingers crossed!

EM: Where would you go if the camp was evicted?

J: I’d go to the Finsbury Square camp, or another Occupy site.

By Emma Fordham