The turbulent and tumultuous year of 2011 is behind us. Political upheavals facilitated by social media have left a scent of real change in the air.
The Arab Spring, the Indignants in Spain, protests throughout Europe and the seemingly contagious Occupy protests that started in New York culminated in Time magazine naming its person of the year as “the protestor”.
This theme of protest and desire for real social change has no sign of diminishing.
But as one passionate Occupy Sydney participant put it, “there is no struggle without a struggle”. The experience so far has proven this to be true.
The participants involved in Occupy Sydney have been subjected to ridicule, provocation, denial of basic political and civil rights and excessive force at the hands of police.
Furthermore, much of the news reporting about the movement is rife with bias and misinformation which fuels the apathetic, complacent and at times ignorant attitude of the Australian public.
But there have been many triumphs since the movement firmly rooted itself at Martin Place on October the 15 last year.
Despite being written off early by mainstream media pundits and political commentators the movement has continued to gain momentum.
The dawn raid by police on October 23, was a clear indication the movement is a political threat.
Ironically, the Assistant Police Commissioner, Mark Murdoch, corporate spokesperson for NSW police, gave the directive.
In spite of this minor setback people regrouped and remobilised.
Undeterred, the passionate people involved re-established the physical core of the movement, the occupation at Martin Place, which now 80 days on is still going strong.
Raising awareness and encouraging political discussion and open dialogue have been primary activities of the movement from the outset.
Occupy Sydney has organised forums, rallies that have attracted over 1000 people, numerous art and performance events, fundraisers for legal costs and many outreach days in Sydney’s suburbs.
These events have inspired many people to become involved, or at the very least, to have discussion with those around them about the state of the world and how it could be improved.
Discussions, whether they are about the problems they directly face here in Australia or about the world we borrow from our children and the challenges we as a species face in the coming decades.
As we enter a new year the seed of a truly open, diverse, action orientated and love based movement has firmly taken root.
Not only in the physical space of places like Martin Place, Zucotti Park or Tahrir Square but in the minds of tens of millions around the world. After all, the revolution begins within.
By Mathew Mytka
