My visit to Occupy LSX at St. Paul's
As I was in the City at the Barbican last week for the CBSO Chorus concert I was involved in, I decided to go and have a look at the camp that had been set up outside St. Paul's. I'm glad I did because it was an interesting experience.
A couple of things struck me. Firstly, it was extremely organised and very well kept. There is a strict rubbish system. The tents are neatly placed in rows and columns. There is a first aid tent, a food tent, an information tent and their famous Tent University. The whole place seemed very civilised and not at all threatening. This leads me on to the second thing, how peaceful it was. It was like a festival site, with the odd guitar playing and people milling around discussing what has gone wrong with today's society. there was no sense of the police (although visible) being their to look for trouble
I was also struck by the posters and artwork that had been placed on the walls around the site. Some of it was very thought provoking and quite compelling. In fact that was the main feeling I got about the place, it was very compelling. I could have quite happily stayed there all afternoon. I don't know why, it was probably my lefty tendencies coming out.
However, it was clear that most of the tents were empty. Whether people were 'at work' or otherwise engaged I don't know, but it was clear for the short time that I was there that the camp was not exactly occupied to full capacity. There were some odd characters there, as you'd expect, but one woman stood out. She was quite clearly barking and talked a lot about Jesus. She was dressed in what looked like a Jesus table cloth and carried a huge crucifix. She was there supporting the camp, but some comments directed at her from one or two protesters gave me the impression she was not entirely welcome.
As I said, overall a very interesting half hour and I'm certainly with them in spirit. Ed Miliband's article in today's Observer makes interesting reading.
