Occupy Auckland protesters won’t leave Aotea Square

  • Breaking
  • 16/11/2011

By Elizabeth Puranam

The Occupy movement that started in Wall St two months ago has spread around the world, but many people are still unsure of exactly what the protesters want.

One thing that has emerged is their own form of communication.

Tonight in Aotea Square, the occupiers were voting on what to do about the Auckland Council’s request that they leave.

The some 2,400 occupy movements around the world are all using the same hand signals to reach consensus.

“There are seven basic hand signals,” an occupy Portland protester explains in a video posted to YouTube. “The first is ‘twinkles’ – this is to show agreement with something. The second is ‘down twinkles’, which is to show disagreement with something that is said.”

There is also the direct response, the clarifying question, point of process, wrap it up and the block.

“[The block] means you’re completely against what is being suggested and that if it goes through, you may leave the camp,” occupier Izak Greywolf explains.

The Occupy Auckland protesters have camped out in Aotea Square for the past 33 days.

“We are here because there is massive inequality in our society – economically and politically,” says spokesman Chris Glen.

“We don’t have all the answers. We’re saying, ‘Hey, look, we have problems in our society and we want to start questioning those problems’.”

What the occupiers do have is their own unique form of communication.

Tonight, they blocked the council’s request to leave and twinkled their fingers at Glen’s proposal to stay.

So the occupiers will send a message to the Auckland Council that they don’t’ plan to leave Aotea Square.

It’s now up to the council to make the next move.

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source: newshub archive