Matthew Varnham: 'Occupy is still very much alive'
Pete The Temp @PeteTheTemp
Occupy still very much alive http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/dec/20/matthew-varnham-occupy-still-alive … @OWS @OccuRecords @OccupyExeter @OccupyTogether @OccupiedTimes @OccupyDublin
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When Matthew Varnham travelled from his family home in Leicester to London in October last year, he had no idea what to expect. The 23-year-old law graduate had seen the sea of tents outside St Paul's Cathedral on television and although he did not know anyone there he was sure he wanted to be part of whatever it was that was happening.
"It was funny, but it felt like I had been waiting for something like this," Varnham says 12 months later. "I had wanted to get involved in a social justice movement and then this started and I felt I had to go."
Nowadays, Varnham is looking for work and researching a book, The Practical Guide to Protest. He says that although the tents and banners have gone, the Occupy movement that began in the UK outside St Paul's still takes up most of his time – and is still gathering momentum away from the media attention.
"Looking back and trying to evaluate what happened, I think it is important to recognise the scale of the task we took on – it was quite daunting. It isn't something that was going to be achieved overnight or in a couple of months, it has to be seen as a long-term thing."
(More at the link.)