[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Astroturfing / Statement of Autonomy

[Mark Barrett]

See 3 below for statement of autonomy, but first for some light relief ;-)

(1) Check this out - it's great, just fill in the boxes and see what you
made. Also look through the gallery!
http://occupylondon-withcartoons.org/index.php

(2) *The age of protest? It’s 94, says prophet who inspired the world’s
‘indignados’*

Stéphane Hessel, the French author of the pamphlet Time for Outrage

Stéphane Hessel is an advocate of anger, a prophet to protesters
everywhere, from Paris to St Paul’s, who urges them to express outrage over
the failings of modern capitalism. So it was a surprise to find him dressed
in an immaculate green tweed jacket, sitting on a sofa in his Paris flat
and chatting about his great-great-grandchildren. But then Mr Hessel is a
surprising man. Take, for instance, his age, 94, which he admits is a bit
old to become a global guru. Then there is his personal history: Second
World War Resistance hero, concentration camp survivor, UN diplomat, and
now a left-wing figurehead.

Mr Hessel owes his status to a short and not particularly original pamphlet
he wrote in 2010 to denounce what he saw as today’s ills, from greedy
bankers to welfare cutbacks. The original print run of *Indignez-Vous*,
translated into English as *Time for Outrage*, was 8,000. So far, more than
3.5 million copies have been sold (priced ¤3 in France). Protesters
brandished his 13-page pamphlet in Tunisia’s Arab Spring uprising. In
Europe, anti-austerity demonstrators named themselves after local
translations of the title, such as *Los Indignados* in Spain and *
Aganaktismenoi* in Greece.

Vlad Teichberg, who is prominent in Occupy Wall Street, described the
author as “very influential”.

The previous day Mr Hessel had returned from South Africa where he took
part in a campaign to support the Palestinians. He was to travel to
Normandy the next day and his wife was concerned that he might be overdoing
it. Mr Hessel, however, seemed more than happy to discuss with *The
Times*his emergence as a literary phenomenon. His message is that
people unhappy
with their political leaders should get out of their armchairs and take
part in “peaceful insurrection”. He said: “The idea is that ordinary
citizens can demonstrate their discontent with force and that governments
must listen to them.”

The pamphlet mentions worthy causes, from the world financial system to the
Middle East and the environment. However, what matters is to take part in a
demonstration, never mind what it is about. “Open your eyes, open your
ears, you’re bound to find something,” he said.

Mr Hessel says the work struck a global chord because “people sense that
the world is badly run. So it fell on to fertile ground”.

Yet critics say *Time for Outrage* is a vague expression of anger that
offers little vision, very much like the anti-capitalist protests it has
helped to inspire on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mr Hessel accepts the criticism, conceding that his pamphlet “doesn’t give
answers, doesn’t give solutions”.

He says its limits are a strength.

“It’s obvious that the things you need to change are not the same in Egypt,
Tunisia, the US and the UK. So that’s why only a very short book could suit
everyone,” he said.

Perhaps the real explanation for the success of the work lies in its
author. Mr Hessel fled collaborationist France to spend most of the war
with the Resistance in “my dear England”, as he calls it. He returned in
1944, was caught by the Gestapo, tortured, and sent to Buchenwald. He was
due to be hanged but escaped and returned to France. He became a diplomat
and worked at the United Nations where, with Eleanor Roosevelt, he helped
to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In short, Mr Hessel is
an undisputed moral authority, so what he says is met with respect. Yet
perhaps his most powerful message does not come from what he says.

Before we left his flat, for example, he insisted on reciting in English, *The
Song of the Wandering Aengus* by Yeats. “That’s for both of you,” he said,
but the twinkle in his eye suggested it was only for Magali Delporte, *The
Times*’ photographer. Mr Hessel’s political rallying call may be debatable,
but his *joie de vivre* is contagious.

(3) The following Statement of Autonomy ( re co-option ) was apparently
passed on Thursday night at the NYCGA http://pastebin.com/LW06zU1y

Love and Solidarity

Mark
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