by Chinatsu Kitamura

On September 17, 2011, the protest movement started by Wall Street in New York, the United States of America In this movement, since investment company, Lehman Brothers of the United States, will move application of federal Bankruptcy Law of Chapter 11 for a Federal Court in September, 2008, which is called the Lehman shock occurred, not only the United States but also the inside of the world has panted dully. Therefore, influenced people occurred the movement.

Especially, 40 percent of the young men who were 19-25 years old, graduated from high school or university did not have a job and the people participated in the demonstration to appeal to complaint against government which were not successful in Employment policy. However, with increasing the number of people who participated in demonstration, the demand was also diversified and people complained everything, a high improvement demand of an unemployment rate or a pension problem, global warming prevention and to a big-ticket house rent and tuition.

The people who participated in the movement have a common slogan, “We are the 99%.” This expresses the situation that the property which top 1% of the wealthy own in the United States of America is increasing since 1970s. According to U.S. Congress Bureau of the Budget, during in 1979 to 2007, income which top 1% of U.S. averaged increased in 275%. However, the increase in the income of the middle income group occupied 60% in the same period had only been 40% by the lowest income bracket of 20% of the low rank at 18% of increase. However, when the demonstration started, participants were young people but a lot of people who were every generation gather in Wall Street with expanding the demonstration. Many of participants were concerned with the demonstration through social networks, such as a twitter and Facebook.

In actual activities, participants stage the demonstration at 9:00 a.m. which start business of the stock market in New York stock market and 4:00 p.m. which finish it in front of New York Stock Exchange. Action policy is decided by talks by a representative system through a general assembly. And also, it has one of the features to perform systematic activity with dividing of roles such as facilitator group, medical group, food group, media group and so on.

Now, the world depression stuck in the mud. We will not see an end to this depression within a few years. Therefore, demonstration was held in the world. However, I didn’t see the demonstration directly. In Japan, few demonstrations were held and Japanese don’t express their will. So I think Japanese should imitate the United States. If Japanese don’t speak one’s mind, government may take so many liberties. Japan stand on the edge of a precipice and we have to take actions against government.

Reference

http://t21.nikkei.co.jp/g3/CMN0F12.do

Nikkei terekon21

Article of the newspaper

・反ウォール街デモなぜ拡大？――格差と雇用低迷、若者に不満

・ＮＹ「反ウォール街デモ」２ヵ月、排除に反発、抗議激化――「非暴力」から変質。

・危機先人に学ぶ――ハイエク（６）

・反ウォール街デモ、世界に波及、「格差」「反緊縮」

・反ウォール街デモ、世界に波及――ＮＹ、勢い維持。

・反ウォール街デモ、世界に波及――東京でも集会。