From Paris to Perth, crowds storm streets to Make Finance Pay
Around the world, crowds took to the streets in a dozen cities last week to call on the world’s financial institutions to take greater responsibility for their actions.
The Robin Hood Day of Action was a global event timed to coincide with Make Finance Pay, a week-long initiative pushing for a Financial Transactions Tax or FTT.
Dressed as Robin Hood, Maid Marian and a host of merry characters, demonstrators from a dozen cities urged their governments, financial institutions, media and citizens to consider introducing an FTT, also known as the Robin Hood Tax.
In Canada, a whopping six cities took the campaign to heart, with events in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Saskatoon, Ottawa and St. John’s. All centred on a tug-of-war concept between Robin Hoods and bankers, with the Ottawa event staged in front of Parliament, as G-20 leaders looked on.
In Washington, thousands rallied on May 17, calling for a Financial Transactions Tax as part of a broader financial reform agenda. Organized by union giant AFL-CIO, the rally took place on K Street, the area notorious for its high concentration of corporate lobbyists.
In Berlin, where finance ministers from around the world were meeting informally, campaigners attacked a bankers’ carriage loaded with money bags – and received considerable media coverage for their trouble.
In Glasgow, Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and their merry men rode down Buchanan Street throwing Fairtrade chocolate coins to passers-by, urging them to support the Robin Hood Tax and ‘Be part of the world’s greatest bank job’. Read the blog here or see the YouTube clip.
In London, campaigners marched across Westminster Bridge to the Houses of Parliament where they delivered giant photography mosaics of more than 3,400 supporters to new MPs. The date coincided with the opening of Britain’s new Conservative-Liberal Democrat parliament, and campaigners urged the new MPs to make the Robin Hood Tax a top legislative priority.
In France, the campaign received a huge amount of publicity following the launch of the Make Finance Work petition on Tuesday. Agence France Press picked up the story, along with national public radio.
In Sydney, the Robin Hood Tax coalition saw a town crier join Robin Hood and his merry men as they marched from Martin Place to the Reserve Bank, while in Perth a crew of campaigners took to the city streets armed with arrows, a giant kangaroo and a message to government to support the Robin Hood Tax.
For a compilation of photos from all countries involved in the Global Action Day, see this Flickr group.
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