Video-Interview-‘2012 to see growing Occupy movement’

The ‘Occupy’ protest movement in the United States continues to voice opposition to corporatism in the country despite the cold winter weather and the arrival of holidays.

Press TV talks with Caleb Maupin, an activist with the International Action Center in New York, about the continuing Occupy protests in the United States. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: How significant is it that even though the holiday season is up on the country, the Occupy protesters say they are going to stay out and that they’re not going to leave their camps?

Caleb Maupin: The chant from the beginning has been “All day, all week, Occupy Wall Street” and it has been a 24 hour occupation – 24/7. And even after they cleared the park, it still continued. So it doesn’t surprise me one bit that they’re not stopping for the holiday season because really, despite the holiday season, people will still be suffering all throughout the US.

There will still be families that are hungry; there will still be people evicted and foreclosed on; and people will be out on the streets and continue to demonstrate because the problems this movement has been addressing have not been solved.

The super rich still hold all the power and the people still are suffering so it doesn’t surprise me that people are going to be out there demonstrating.

Press TV: What you’ve said as far as the people staying out to demonstrate… How do you think this is affecting… as far as the powers that be, I don’t think in the history of the US, especially not in its recent history anyway, that there’s been such a consistent and persistent movement that, despite holidays and whatever comes up, no matter the difficulty of what they’re facing, they are still out there on the scene.

Do you think the powers that be are taking this situation – this movement – now more seriously and know that the Occupy movement is there to stay until they see some changes?

Caleb Maupin: They are certainly terrified of the Occupy movement. That’s why they passed the recent National Defense Authorization Act with the attempt to put people in indefinite detention. That’s why they have the Department of Homeland Security plotting about how to get rid of Occupy Wall Street and coordinating all the various attacks.

They are certainly afraid and they’re certainly taking this movement seriously, whether they come out and say it or not. And the fact that we’re continuing throughout the holiday season; there’s stuff going on all across the country today, tomorrow, the next day… I think it’s a very important thing as it’s showing that no matter what, this movement takes no breaks. It’s a continuing movement, there’s no question about that.

Press TV: What do you see as for the direction for this movement in 2012? Do you think it will continue to grow and how do you see as for the reaction of authorities in the next coming year?

Caleb Maupin: I would say this movement is going to continue to grow in 2012. In New York City, it’s very cold in the winter; it’s very cold out here in New York, but people are still out there no matter what, and so as the weather continues to warm up it will get larger.

And in addition to that, the global conditions, which have really spread this global uprising against the bankers will continue to get worse because the bankers and their system will not be able to solve the problem. They will not be able to solve the problem and it will continue to get bigger and there will be many more demonstration.

Until the leaders in the government are forced to stop trying to defend Wall Street and instead take the side of the people, they’re going to have to be in a situation where they’re defending the one percent from the 99 percent. And when you’re defending the one percent from the 99 percent, that can get very very difficult.