Grand Parade under ‘occupation’ by protesters
Posted Oct 16, 2011 11:57:26 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It could be a noisy start to the trading week at the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Some people involved in the Occupy Canada rallies during the weekend are planning a march through the city’s financial district.
Here in Halifax, a protest on Saturday has changed into an indefinite occupation of the Grand Parade. Demonstrators have pitched tents in the public square to show they have no plans to leave.
Occupy Nova Scotia spokesman Ryan McKenna tells News 95.7 it’s a great development for the local movement.
“It’s a very central location, it’s a great way to get our voices heard, and I think it’s a great sign that the police have been going around saying to expect us to be here for a while, because it shows that they acknowledge that we’re determined.”
McKenna says the Occupy Nova Scotia members will hold a meeting every evening to discuss the next day’s plan.
“We’re doing a really great job right now of building a community and we’re going to stay as long as the momentum keeps up,” he said.
Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council President Kyle Buott says because the “occupation” is day to day, it’s hard to say where the movement will go in the long term.
“The demonstrations started over a month ago in the United States and we’ve only had a day here so far, so I think we’ve got a while to go before we start seeing those type of questions being answered.”
About 300 people showed up for Saturday’s rally, which was uneventful.
Police were there, handing out pamphlets to remind protesters of their legal rights and responsibilities.
