Source: http://torillatavataan.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/the-first-declaration-of-occupy-helsinki/
From November 2011
We are Occupy Helsinki. We don’t define ourselves through political views, social status or any other external factor; we represent ourselves and no one from us represents the whole movement alone. We have gathered from 20th of October 2011 onwards to Kansalaistori square in Helsinki and created a space that we have renamed as Ihmisten tori, Folks’ square. We are searching new viewpoints and operations models to find alternatives to the current global political and economical structures. May this declaration be the foundation and the signpost for the Occupy Helsinki movement.
We are conscious of the fact that the current structures are leading us towards a global social, economical, political and ecological catastrophe: to a world where one can’t make a living by working, where ordinary people can’t influence issues concerning them, where even the richest countries are drowning in debt and human value is measured only with the profit of one’s labour. We hold the opinion that economical greed is also outweighing ecological well-being and the current measures in favor of the enviroment are completely insufficient.
Our concern is justified and we are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world, for example in the Spanish democracy movement and Occupy Wall Street movement have gathered to plan a different kind of world. A world where everything would not be on sale, but instead of competitiveness the welfare of all would be the most important thing and where we would treat our enviroment with respect.
We don’t want to only protest. We are upholding an open space, where we can think together how a socially and ecologically more sustainable world could be possible. For us one concrete embodiment of change is the General assembly, that gathers in Ihmisten tori every day at 6 PM holding to the principles of respecting other people, freedom of opinion and non-violence. We invite you to manifest your views and to participate or to put an Occupy into action where ever you are. Welcome.
Occupy Helsinki!