This article was written for our blog by Gigi at the beginning of January, and would have been published earlier had our editor's mind not been on other things. Sincerest apologies to everyone for our not having posted this sooner.
When I first moved to Brighton, I knew the city had a history of grassroots movements and groundswell. Since my arrival - although not related to it - the city has held various student rallies and public sector rallies and strikes. The city council is run by the Green Party and we elected Caroline Lucas as the first Green UK MP. Hardly surprising that Brighton would be on the radar of the Occupy movement, following the initial Wall Street and Stock Exchange protests and the subsequent camp outside St Paul's Cathedral.
The camp in Brighton appeared at the beginning of November 2011, following a General People's Assembly. It was sited in Victoria Gardens in central Brighton, close to the Pavilion and a stone's throw from the pebbled beach. At first, I confess I was quite affronted that a tented village was being set up so near to the pavements and shop doorways where the ever increasing dispossessed and homeless population of Brighton actually live. However, from the start, the occupants invited open debate and welcomed visitors. By the time the camp closed in early December, there were several local rough-sleepers living there. Although it was situated across the road from a busy and bustling Brighton pub, the camp banned it's occupants from playing music after 11pm in the interests of local residents.
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Unlike the Occupy London camp, the Brighton site had the support of the Green council and the cheerful tolerance of the police. Also unlike the London camp, Occupy Brighton quickly issued an initial statement specifically calling for the abolition of banking interest charges.
A nice man who writes a fairly well-known Brighton based Catholic blog posted that he'd dropped by the camp. Although not particularly supportive, he noted that the site was peaceful and welcoming. With no security as such, the camp had formed "Tranquillity Teams"; pacifiers who roamed the site conciliating and comforting where necessary. He noted "How very Brighton!" this was. He was impressed by the picture of the Divine Mercy displayed on the main tent, along with the words "I was hungry and you gave Me food ". He suggested we should all get together and provide a Nativity scene for the camp. Sadly, we didn't get the chance to do this.
I was intrigued by all this; at the end of November I wandered over to the camp on my way home. The bemused stares quickly turned to friendliness. There were very few people there: I was told that some people had day-jobs and homes but chose to return to the sire at night. I spoke to a young man from Wales for a while. He'd come to Brighton looking for a different life. He'd been involved in the ongoing debates and said the occupants were anxious that their protest should have some meaning, rather than being seen as a collection of tents and guitars. I asked him what the consensus was on the struggles between Occupy London and St Paul's. He said it was very sad: that the Occupy movement was fuelled by spirit and a sense of justice. He hadn't been raised within any particular religion but said he had faith. He told me you only had to look at the acceptance and welcome given to strangers at the camp, from occupants from quite diverse backgrounds and cultures, to see God at work.
I was intrigued by all this; at the end of November I wandered over to the camp on my way home. The bemused stares quickly turned to friendliness. There were very few people there: I was told that some people had day-jobs and homes but chose to return to the sire at night. I spoke to a young man from Wales for a while. He'd come to Brighton looking for a different life. He'd been involved in the ongoing debates and said the occupants were anxious that their protest should have some meaning, rather than being seen as a collection of tents and guitars. I asked him what the consensus was on the struggles between Occupy London and St Paul's. He said it was very sad: that the Occupy movement was fuelled by spirit and a sense of justice. He hadn't been raised within any particular religion but said he had faith. He told me you only had to look at the acceptance and welcome given to strangers at the camp, from occupants from quite diverse backgrounds and cultures, to see God at work.
I was too shy to stay long, but I wandered home feeling very hopeful and touched. I decided I would go back before Christmas. However, days later the camp was necessarily dismantled after gale force winds straight off the sea had ripped through the tents and destroyed the camp's infrastructure. The police and council workers dissembled the site, assisted by most of the occupants. The police noted that the majority of protesters let peacefully and amiably, but a small minority became aggravated and started a fire with wooden pallets. Local reporting blames "infiltrators" for the unrest. Although the camp had a stated no alcohol or drugs policy, others had drifted towards the camp for shelter; Brighton has a high level of substance abuse. The council leader has now said he wouldn't tolerate another similar camp.
The Occupy Brighton website reports that the former occupants have been re-seeding the park and undertaking any necessary repairs. They also extend a special affection to the local people who visited them. My neighbours are generally in agreement with me that the camp somehow seemed to fit in the centre of a recession-torn Brighton at Christmas. A key component of the Occupy movement is that no-one should be excluded. Some reportage seems to have damned any chance of longevity for the Brighton camp, essentially because it sought to to be inclusive. At Christmas, I kept remembering the young lad who pointed out the way of God in those who chose to be somewhere they didn't need to be, alongside those who had nowhere to go.
