Occupy St. Paul’s: A Political Performance by Sarah Sykes

I was surprised to learn how quickly and far spread the original Occupy Wall Street movement has gone. From Barcelona, to Amsterdam, to London, the theme remains the same- yet how these activists perform differs in concentration and demonstration. Occupy St. Paul’s was decidedly calmer than its variants in Barcelona, or from what I’ve heard on the news is going on at the Occupy movement in my home town of Oakland, California. The area in front of St. Paul’s has undergone a drastic redecoration- in which signs and artwork have been taped up and plastered to the ground in a way that is slightly overwhelming, but also show the passion and effort put in by the occupiers. Some comic, some devastatingly serious, it was a nice mix keeping passer byers interested. Unlike the demonstration in Barcelona, which was characterized by impassioned chanting (which, I unfortunately understood none of) and movement, Occupy St. Paul’s is rather quiet, if not stagnant, more focused on the visual than the auditory.

The tents spanning across the occupied area also demonstrate how dedicated protestors are to the cause- even thinking about sleeping in the cold and rain is enough to drive many inside for a cup of tea. Yet, seeing all these people of varying ages outside St. Paul’s and ready to weather the rain, wins my sympathy and support- it is perhaps this aspect that merits the protest a more serious performance. Interestingly, I have heard that at Occupy Wall Street, heat detecting cameras have proven most tents unoccupied at night. Though I am hesitant to readily believe this (fox news conspiracy?), it would certainly make the idea less sympathetic, though I doubt many would be able to stand sleeping in a tent in such cold weather. Something that is also interesting about all the Occupy movements I have witnessed is the plethora of Guy Fawkes masks. At Occupy St. Paul’s, the masks seem particularly popular- most likely because Guy Fawkes is actually relevant in the U.K.? Seeing these masks here makes much more sense to me than seeing pictures of teenagers at Occupy Wall Street donning Fawkes’ likeness, perhaps because most Americans associate the masks with V for Vendetta. In this aspect, the protests gain an even more performative essence that is somewhat distracting from their purpose, especially if one is uniformed of Guy Fawkes, and his story.

Overall, Occupy St. Paul’s is a political spectacle - one that engages mostly those who share similar opinions, I assume those with more conservative views would stay away...It’s protestors and the scenery are inspiring, in that it’s nice to see that people around the world engaged in a form of activism.