The global Occupy movement against capitalism which was begun by merely dozens of protesters in New York under the label Occupy Wall Street and spread throughout the world, reached Peshawar on Thursday where hundreds of people launched a movement to “Occupy Peshawar”.
Occupy Peshawar participants held a protest in front of Peshawar Press Club in solidarity with the world movement against capitalism and said all social evils – unemployment, injustice, poverty and the economic crisis – will end after the elimination of capitalism. Leading the protest, Anwar Zeb said, “Capitalism is the system through which all wealth is concentrated in the hands of few families who decide the fate of rest.”
He said, “The Occupy movement has warned capitalist countries that they must bring forth a meaningful alternative – or the peaceful movement will convert into an armed struggle.” He said Pakistan needs to change its system and end capitalism – or those whom the system favours will be washed away by the movement. “We have spoken out against the discriminative capitalist system for decades and now the whole world is speaking against it,” he said. “The Occupy movement is the beginning of the end of capitalism,” he said.
Participants holds red flags, banners and chanting slogans in favour of socialism and social justice and eliminating economic discrepancies. Ordinary citizens, trade union and federation workers, including the All Pakistan Clerk Association, People’s Labour Federation, Small Industry Labourers Union, People’s Rahman Cotton Mill, Charsadda Sugar Mill and the People’s Students Federation activist participated in the protest which gathered under the umbrella of “Ankilabi Jiddojihad” (Revolutionary Struggle).
Peoples’ Youth Federation Provincial Chief Gohar said the time has come to abolish the system which is run by one per cent and impoverishes the ninety nine percent. He said, “We, the 99 percent, stand against the capitalist system that has failed.” He said wealth has been concentrated in a small one percent in the world. All Pakistan Clerk Association (APCA) Aslam Khan said, “The working class is exploited. They produce wealth but receive nothing.”
“A peaceful movement against capitalism has spread around the world within a month because people feel both economic exploitation and social discrimination, both products of the capitalist system,” he said. Speakers said it was time to produce an alternative system where all are equal which protects labourers rather than exploits them.