Occupy Wall Street Mission to Egypt Debated, Rain Falls, Banks Let Off Hook?

By Matthew Russell Lee

LOWER MANHATTAN, November 22 -- Should Occupy Wall Street spend $30,000 to send observers to Egypt's parliamentary elections on November 28? The proposal was debated at length on Tuesday night in lower Manhattan, not in Zuccotti Park from which tents were evicted a week ago but in another privately-owned "public" space at 60 Wall Street.

Back on November 10 the money was allocated, and turmoil in Cairo's Tahrir Square has increased since then. But Tuesday night's amendment said "the November 15 eviction from Liberty Plaza has taxed our human and capital resources" and "there is no unanimity on whether sending an observer delegation from New York is the best way we can help the movement in Egypt."

An opponent of the amendment called it merely budgetary, an attempt to save money. (One point of information was that the $1,500 per ticket was inflated, as these were available online for $820.) But others said, "OWS is global, we have to show solidarity."

One critique of the amendment was that the sponsor wouldn't give his name. He maintained that position, saying "I am White Hat, I am known as that."

There were five Blocks, several of whom said it was their "first block ever." These were whittled down but not eliminated so a vote seeking modified consensus -- 90% vote -- was taken. A count of voters was taken, but more than 10% voted against.

The proposal failed, leading one member of the "Movement Building" group to complain, we don't want to go, we are not going!"

Palm tree, not in Egypt but 60 Wall Street, (c) MRLee

Another Movement Building member mentioned concerns about security, while from further back in the crowd there was grumbling about expensive plane tickets and hotel rooms.

Reporting from the United Nations as Inner City Press shows that there are other elections on November 28, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also at the UN earlier on Tuesday, when Inner City Press asked for a response to the use of tear gas at University of California - Davis, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said that an investigation was "appropriate."

But the UN is tone-deaf on entanglements with bailed-out financial institutions like Bank of America. And Occupy Wall Street, while initially and still intermittently targeted at banks, bogged down Tuesday night on a proposal to spend $350 for a legal filing fee to sue the NYC Department of Sanitation to not, at least yet, throw out the belongings seized during the November 15 eviction of Zuccotti Park.

Penny wise, pound foolish said a bearded wag back in the crowd. Indeed. Watch this site.

Footnote: Inner City Press has written and uploaded many of its Occupy Wall Street pieces from 60 Wall Street, where the day of the eviction the public Interest was shut. Now amid cold November rain, the OWS General Assembly has moved indoors. It is next to Wall Street and that should be used.

Otunbayeva Tells Press Justice Had to Wait, UN Accountable Kyrgyz?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 22 -- A week before she steps down from the Kyrgyz presidency, Roza Otunbayeva came on Tuesday to the UN which used to employ her.

Inner City Press asked Ms. Otunbayeva about the violence in 2010, mostly redirected against Uzbeks in Osh and Jalal Abad in the south, and about criticism in the International Inquiry headed up by Kimmo Kiljunen of her handing of accountability for the violence.

Otunbayeva said that she only had power a year and seven months, as a "crisis manager." She said that her successor Atambayev will work on the issues of the 445 Kyrgyz judges, perhaps replacing some.

Her answer rambled into issue of gender balance, that the prosecutor general is a woman, as is the head of the central bank.

Finally she mentioned the Kiljunen report, saying that "it is on the Internet," and that the government cooperated. But Kiljunen was barred from the country -- at the time, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon remained silent on this blockage, his spokesman saying that Kiljunnen's was "not a UN report" -- and many of the recommendations are not being acted on.

During the recent elections, online news agencies were denied press accreditation.

Some countries are favorites, or have amassed good will, and Kyrgyzstan like Liberia is such a country. The UN wanted to claim credit for its dubious good work during the violence, and so was not critical afterward.

In other answers, Otunbayeva bristled when asked why her country didn't give in to Pakistan's request that it drop out of balloting for a seat on the UN Security Council in 2012-13.

She said Kyrgyzstan announced its candidacy in 1997, Pakistan only in 2005. She asked how she could have told her people they were dropping out -- are we a failing country or what?

She praised Turkey's Erdogan, to whom Ban Ki-moon was so quickly to apologize after UN Security personnel were injured by Erdogan's entourage; she said Japan didn't step forward with aid, trade or tax offers like China did. She was real politik, and says she'll stay in Kyrgyzstan after she steps down. But will there be accountability, and justice for Uzbeks? We'll see.

India Beats China for "Chinese" Seat on JIU, Where Tarasov Goes from Kuwait?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 22, updated -- As the two most populous countries on Earth, except along their border it's rare for India and China to face off. But it happened Tuesday at the UN for a seat on the Geneva-based Joint Inspection Unit.

That there was even a competition was surprising. Of the JIU's 11 inspectors, retiring American Deborah Wynes was replaced without any opposition, on a so-called clean slate, by another American, George Bartisiotas.

Russian Nikolay Chulkov was similarly replaced by Gennady Tarasov, who's been serving as UN High-Level Coordinator for Kuwaiti missing property. (The Russian Mission has been asked by Inner City Press to confirm that Tarasov will resign from the Kuwait post to join the JIU, as at least one source says he will, adding that simultaneous service would not be possible.)

Update of Nov 23: a senior Russian source says that the JIU term, contrary to the information sheet put out by the UN, begins in 2013, so "Tarasov has a full year" to continue on Kuwait. Duly noted.

But which China's ZHANG Yishang retired, not only Chinese ZHANG Yan (his country's ambassador to Delhi) ran -- India's A. Gopinathan also entered the race. And by a vote of 106 to 77, Gopinathan won.

Adding insult to injury, Indian media reported that "China's Zhang Yishan was already a member of the JIU and was seeking renewal of his term." But Yishan is retiring - it's Yan who ran and lost: to now remain in Delhi?

India says it didn't know that China was putting forward a candidate for the seat Yishan had occupied, saying "there are no Permanent seats" on the JIU. But with Russia and the US replacing their own candidates unopposed, it sure looks like there are. Watch this site.

UN Says Investigation of Tear Gas Used at UC Davis Appropriate: OWS Autumn Amid Bank Blindness?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 22 -- As the Occupy Wall Street movement has grown, the United Nations has generally dodged questions about authorities' responses to it.

Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople about the October 1 arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge, the wounding of Scott Olsen at Occupty Oakland and the mass arrest of protesters sitting-in on Williams and Pine Streets to block the New York Stock Exchange, each time without substantive UN response.

But on November 22 when Inner City Press asked spokesman Martin Nesirky about the tear gassing of students at University of California-Davis, he responded that the UN is "aware of the footage" and that "an investigation seems to be an appropriate step." Video here, from Minute 4:27.

One could read too much into this. The UN is otherwise tonedeaf to issues being raised by Occupy Wall Street, for example putting the chairman of Bank of America on its High Level Group on sustainable energy, despite protests on lower Broadway and elsewhere of Bank of America's role as Number One funder of mountain top removal coal mining.

On November 22, Nesirky noted that the UN is "also aware" of the UC Chancellor speaking to students and faculty. Still, it is noteworthy and stands in contrast to recent UN responses.

From the UN's November 17 transcript:

Inner City Press: Earlier this morning right here in New York there was a peaceful protest at Wall Street. People did a sit-in, the corner of Pine and William Street, and I personally observed people being roughed up and arrested. Was this, in the UN’s view is that a peaceful protest, is there any, does the same standard you are articulating here about the right to peaceful protest and leaders listening, does it apply to events taking place here in Manhattan?

Spokesperson Nesirky: There are a couple of things here. The right to peaceful protest is universal, the notion that people should be able to articulate their views in a peaceful fashion is something that applies everywhere, or should. In addition, the rule of law is an important principle, too. And as you well know, aspects of what has been happening in Lower Manhattan are before the courts and, therefore, it would not be proper to comment further on that particular aspect of it. Okay, other questions?

This was followed-up on November 18:

Question: in New York yesterday when there were demonstrations — thousands and thousands of people demonstrating — I mean, at least 400 to 500 have been arrested all over the United States, and not only in New York in particular; people have been beaten. Do you have anything to say about this at all, on the part of the United Nations, because you are quick to say something about Egypt and Sudan and places like that? What about the United States?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, I have answered similar questions on that from Matthew a number of times already.

Correspondent: Matthew has been asking, yes, absolutely.

Spokesperson: So I mean the answer is that peaceful protest is a universal right and people have that right to protest peacefully. And rule of law is an equally important principle as well. What I would also say is that the Secretary-General has said repeatedly — and not just focusing on the Arab Spring — that people are frustrated. I mean he’s said that, as I mentioned in his message on the International Day of Tolerance, that all this flux that is taking place around the world and all this churning creates enormous anxiety. And, for example, in his letter to the G-20 leaders, he said that the gathering force of public protest is a popular expression of an obvious fact that growing economic uncertainty, market volatility and mounting inequality have reached a point of crisis. And he was appealing to leaders to show leadership in dealing with these multiple crises. Public protests that are peaceful are a universally accepted right. And rule of law is also an important principle. Okay, other questions? Yes?

Inner City Press: I have questions onSudan, Somalia and Sri Lanka. But I want to ask one follow-up on that, just to make… to understand what… when you say, you know, peaceful protest is allowed but the rule of law is equally important. Yesterday, what took place is people did a sit-in; they sat down peacefully at [inaudible] various corners around the New York Stock Exchange, trying to express their outrage at bailouts and various things and, you know, many people witnessed and there is film of it. They were violently arrested, including the use of batons and blood streaming down the face. So is a sit-in, which is disruptive but doesn’t use violence, is that the type of non-violent protest that is allowed, and is the use of batons and in the case of the eviction, a sound canon, things like this, who in the UN is sort of monitoring? Your deputy seems to have said well if they are doing it they must need to do it. He said that once. He has also said, you know, well, I will leave it at that one. He basically said the use of police projectiles in Oakland must have been justified because the authorities did it, which is not the approach used elsewhere. So how do you bring these principles you have enunciated down to what is actually taking place, including the critical injury of a protester in Oakland?

Spokesperson: Well, I think you are conflating a number of things here, but just to answer the point, rule of law is extremely important and it will depend in any setting on what are the laws that apply. And it is not for me or for others to interfere in what legislation is in place, what court orders may be in place in any given setting. Just to reiterate that the peaceful protest is a right; rule of law is equally important. And that’s where we are.

Then the November 22 comment. Watch this site.