The Occupy Wall Street Protest Movement The Occupy Wall Street protest movement is making headlines all

over the world and has spread to other cities in the United States. These protests have engendered support from the general population as many sympathize with the views of this protest movement. This is not the first time that the financial center of the United States has been targeted by protesters, although this protest movement may be different this time for a number of reasons. Here are some other protests that have targeted Wall Street over the years. In October 1979, thousands of protesters descended on Wall Street to protest the use of nuclear power in general, and the proposed Seabrook Nuclear Power plant in New Hampshire. The protesters planned the demonstrations to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the market crash of 1929. The purpose of the demonstration was to prevent the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from opening and to highlight a list of 61 listed public companies that were involved in some facet of the nuclear power industry. The exchange opened as usual and thousands of protesters were arrested. The Seabrook Nuclear Power plant was eventually built and opened for commercial operations in 1990. Next Era Energy (NYSE:NEE) is the current owner of the plant. Labor Strike In March 1948, the United Financial Employees Union went on strike against the New York Stock Exchange and the Curb Exchange (now known as the American Stock Exchange). The union, which represented many of the back office workers on Wall Street, was asking for higher wages for its members. The strike was also backed by the American Federation of Labor, which sent members of other unions to Wall Street to support. The demonstrators attempted to block the entrance to the exchanges and some other offices in the Wall Street area, and the protest soon turned violent with dozens arrested by the police. Another important characteristic that distinguishes this movement is that it seems to have suddenly spread to other cities as sympathizers rallied around the original protesters. This spontaneous support may be due to the prominence of social media in the lives of younger Americans something that previous protest movements could not use to their benefit.

HINA DAWOOD