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Occupy Democracy Group Sticks to Its Tents Amid Arrests During London Rally

© Photo : Twitter/@OccupyLondonOccupy Democracy group
Occupy Democracy group - Sputnik International
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Participants in the 10-day peaceful rally organized by the Occupy Democracy movement in London, as well as other UK cities, have four demonstration days behind them, with police having made 3 arrests so far.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The London rally started in Parliament Square on Friday afternoon. It will last until Sunday, May 10, featuring workshops, discussions and creative performances that will address the issue of corporate control, according to the official Occupy Democracy website.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday), we're focusing on Media with a full day of workshops and discussions on Parliament Square," the group said on its Facebook page on Monday.

Earlier in the day, police arrested three participants in the London rally, who were sitting in a tent.

It is illegal to erect tents for protest action in Parliament Square, however, according to Occupy Democracy the law enforcement "massively over-reacted" when about 50 policemen surrounded the tent, with at least ten reportedly being involved in the arrest of each of the three people.

Occupy Democracy - Sputnik International
Occupy Democracy Slams UK Authorities for 'Over-Reacting' to Peaceful Rally
Earlier on Monday, the activists dressed the statue of Gandhi on Parliament Square in a tarpaulin shawl, calling for the criminalization of fossil fuel exploration, and a switch to renewable energy resources.

Environmental protection and climate change are one of the key issues that Occupy Democracy is trying to attract public attention to. The Monday events in Parliament Square focused on climate crisis.

On Sunday, the demonstrators addressed the theme of corporate lobbying and funding and rallied against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – an EU-US free trade deal currently under negotiation. Critics say the agreement will make it harder for European states to regulate markets.

Saturday Occupy events focused on the issue of democracy, which is being overrun by corporate interests in the United Kingdom, according to the group.

Ahead of the May 7 general election, Occupy Democracy members demand that the British parliament act in the interests of the people, not major corporations.

The movement advocates democracy free from corporate control that would help people and the planet as a whole, according to the group's website.

The group's main demands include reforming party funding and the media, abandoning policies driven by economic interests, the introduction of proportional government representation and a citizen-led constitutional convention for democracy.

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