Armenia

On 20 February 2012^[199] near Margaryan Maternity Clinic, where kiosks were being built by the city authorities. The place of protests was promptly dubbed "Mashtots park" – a name under which it is now widely known by the Armenian society.^[200]

Armenak Dovlatyan, Leader of the Greens party, believed that the "Occupy" demonstrations were the most successful civic action in the history of Armenia.^[201]

Australia

"Occupy" demonstrations took place in Canberra, Wollongong,^[202] Perth,^[203] Sydney,^[204] Brisbane,^[205] and Melbourne,^[206] as well as smaller towns around the country. At the Occupy Melbourne protest on 21 October 2011, approximately 150 protesters defied police orders to clear the area and were subsequently removed with force.^[207] 95 arrests were made, and 43 reports of police violence were filed.^[208] Occupiers returned the following day in a walk against police violence, re-occupying multiple sites since. Occupy Sydney had an ongoing occupation in Martin Place since their initial police eviction, marking almost 21 months in July 2013. The Occupy Sydney camp was removed on 3 July 2013, but it returned on 4 July. It was again removed on 5 July.^[209]

Belgium

In Brussels, a large Occupy demonstration took place on 15 October involving between 6,500 and 8,000 participants. The protest was largely peaceful, although seven people were arrested following vandalisation of the Dexia bank headquarters and financial tower.^[210] The Occupy Antwerp (Antwerpen) movement had its first gathering on Saturday 22 October at the Groenplaats, next to the cathedral. About 150–200 people attended a speaker's corner. The left-wing socialist party (PVDA) was present and served free soup as well as information about its proposed "millionaires' tax". There have been four Occupy protests in Leuven. Three took place on the Grand Market in the centre of the city and one took place at a building of the city's Catholic university. The number of protesters in these rallies varied from 100 to 250. These protests have not included prolonged camping, but the protesters say that it is a possibility in the future.^[211]^[212] Occupy Ghent (Gent) began on 29 October with 400 people in the South Park (Zuidpark). They received a visit by supporters attending the "second day of Socialism" (de Tweede Dag van het Socialisme), also held in Ghent on the same day.^[213]

Brazil

The 2013 protests in Brazil (also known as the Come to the street and Brazilian Spring) were a series of public demonstrations in several Brazilian cities, initiated mainly by the Movimento Passe Livre (Free Fare Movement), a local entity that advocates for free public transportation. During a 2015 movement "Ocupe Estelita", a police officer was suspended for shooting protesters with rubber bullets for knocking off his cap.^[214]

Canada

Occupy protests have taken place in at least 20 Canadian cities since 15 October 2011. On that day, 5,000 people gathered in Vancouver to protest perceived social injustice, while 150 stayed the night in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery.^[215]^[216] 2,000 people marched in Toronto on 15 October and around 100 continued to occupy St James Park,^[217]^[218] and 1,000 gathered in Montreal to march down Ste-Catherine Street; 85 tents were set up in Victoria square.^[219] Beginning on 23 October 2011 approximately 40 people occupied Memorial Park on Minto Street in downtown Sudbury and still continue to do so.^[220] On 20 October 2011, over 100 people occupied the front of City Hall in Prince George, British Columbia.^[221] Events have been concentrated in provincial urban areas, and there have yet to be any demonstrations in the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, or Nunavut.^[119]^[222] A relatively small group of occupiers successfully occupied Harbourside Park in St John's Newfoundland for the entire 2012 Winter season. This site, known also as "King's Beach" is symbolically significant as the birthplace of the British Empire, and the encampment is seen by some protesters to represent an occupation of colonialism vis-a-vis its birth site. There are currently a number of court proceedings across Canada on whether or not the eviction of protestors and violence from police is an infringement of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.^[223]

Colombia

Around 800 student protestors began occupying universities across Colombia on 12 November 2011.^[224]

Czech Republic

On 28 April 2012, a week after demonstrations of unions and civic associations (more than one hundred thousand protesters)^[225] the camp "Occupy Klárov" in Prague was started.^[226] Pirate Party participated in the occupation.^[227] Police dissolved the camp a month later.^[228]

Cyprus

On 19 November 2011, protesters started the "No Borders Camp" Or "Occupy Buffer Zone", a permanent occupation of the United Nations controlled buffer zone in the centre of the capital, Nicosia, demanding an end to the decades-long division of the Island.^[229] The movement used the Twitter hashtag "OccupyBufferZ". By June 2012 the occupation of the buffer zone was essentially over.

Denmark

On 15 October 2011, 2,000 protesters showed up on the square in front of the city hall of Copenhagen, protesting in sympathy with OWS. Immediately after the demonstration an "Occupy Copenhagen" camp was established. The camp, internally nicknamed "Plaza One Love", lived through harsh climate conditions and a couple of eviction attempts for two months, until it was torn down by the Municipality of Copenhagen and Danish police, on 21 December. The movement has shifted to a mobile camp tactic, and still holds GA every Wednesday and other activities throughout the week.^[230]

France

Some 300 protesters started occupying Paris's financial district, La Défense, on 4 November 2011.^[231] Since then, their camp has been torn down by several police forces. According to French protestors, relations with the police have varied considerably. Some police joined them for coffee and friendly discussion, but otherwise were hostile and confiscated blankets and food, leaving protesters sleeping in the cold outdoors without protection. On 11 November, following a call made on social networks, some 400 additional people joined the occupation.^[232] Occupy protests have also begun at Nantes, Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille,^[233] Perpignan and more than 50 cities.^[234]

Germany

The Occupy movement began in Germany on 15 October 2011 with protests in Berlin, focused outside the Reichstag, as well as Frankfurt, Hamburg and Düsseldorf. Occupy Frankfurt subsequently took residence in front of the European Central Bank, and Occupy Berlin established a protest camp at St. Mary's Church.^[235] On 12 November major Occupy protests took place in Berlin and Frankfurt.^[236] Police reported that around 9,000 people peacefully protested near the headquarters of the European Central Bank, and that "several thousand" people took to the streets of Berlin; organisers of the protests claimed that turnout was around 8,000 in Berlin and 10,000 in Frankfurt.^[236]

Hong Kong

An Occupy movement in Hong Kong, named 'Occupy Central', began on 15 October 2011 with protesters occupying the plaza beneath the HSBC Main Building in Central, an iconic landmark of the territory's central business district.^[237]^[238] Despite the fact that the protesters were peaceful, HSBC filed a lawsuit for their eviction. On 13 August 2012, the High Court ruled that the protesters must leave the occupied area. On 11 September 2012, the protesters were evicted from the plaza by court bailiffs, ending one of the world's longest continuously occupied Occupy protest camps.

Israel

Italy

On 15 October 2011, about 200,000 people gathered in Rome to protest against economic inequality and the influence of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund on government.^[239] Many other protests occurred in other Italian cities the same day.^[240] In Rome masked and hooded militants wearing makeshift body armor, in black bloc fashion, participated in the protests centered in St John Lateran square and committed numerous violent acts, throwing Molotov cocktails and other homemade explosives, burning and blowing up cars, burning buildings, and smashing up property such as ATMs and shop windows.^[65] The Roman Catholic church Santi Marcellino e Pietro al Laterano received extensive damage, including a statue of the Virgin Mary being thrown into the street and destroyed.^[65]

Several unexploded petrol bombs were reportedly found on several streets by Italian police.^[65] Over 1,000,000 euros of damage (equivalent to over 1.3 million dollars) was recorded.^[65] At least 135 people were injured in the resulting clashes, including 105 police officers, several of whom were left in critical condition,^[241] and two news crews from Sky Italia.^[65]^[242] Two protesters had their fingers amputated by exploding smoke bombs.^[65] Almost 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.^[65] After the 15 October demonstration, people occupied the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme square and started camping as in other cities worldwide. The name of this Rome's group, related to international Occupy movement, is Accampata Roma.^[243]

Malaysia

The Occupy Dataran movement first held their assembly at Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) seven weeks before Occupy Wall Street on 30 July 2011^[244] to create an alternative to the current representative democracy^[245] using the popular assembly model based on principles of participatory democracy.^[246] As part of the 15 October 2011 global protests, over 200 people^[247] took part in 15 October's Occupy Dataran, the largest assembly to date.^[248] In late October, the movement spread to Penang with Occupy Penang^[249] and Kelantan with Occupy Kota Bharu.

Mexico

Occupy began in Mexico City on 11 October 2011, with a hunger strike in front of the Mexican Stock Exchange highrise. Edur Velasco, a 56-year-old labor economist and university professor, was on a 42-day-long hunger strike sitting in a tent outside Mexico City's stock market, demanding that the government guarantee greater access to higher education among the youth.^[250] Days after his initiative, it came as a surprise to see the multiplication of tents setting up outside the stock exchange building. Police remained discreetly around the corner sitting in their trucks.^[251]

Occupy Mexico did not achieve the level of popularity it gained in other areas. This is attributed to the fact that Mexico's Occupy protesters, which were focused on poverty and workers' rights, failed to resonate with a public enthralled by the violence of the Mexican Drug War.^[252] In contrast, an anti-violence movement led by Javier Sicilia during the time that the Occupy protests occurred, drew thousands onto the streets of Mexico City.^[252] The Occupy Movement was almost entirely ignored by Mexico's mainstream politicians.^[252] By late January 2012, most of the tents were empty and only a few protesters remained outside the Stock Exchange.^[252]

Mongolia

S. Ganbaatar, the head of Mongolia's Confederation of Trade Unions (CTU), has announced that the association joins the worldwide occupy protests of Wall Street and other high streets on 20 October 2011.^[253] He claimed that bankers are charging higher interest rates from customers and corporates. In the most recent data in September 2011, the weighted average annual MNT lending rate is 16% in Mongolia.^[254]

Nepal

Also known as Baluwatar Satyagraha, Occupy Baluwatar is a peaceful protest movement calling on the Nepali state to better address the widespread problem of impunity and gender-based violence. Since 28 December 2012, protesters have gathered outside the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar from 9:00 to 11:00 am daily. The protesters created a coherent set of demands, divided into short- and long-term goals, which they presented to then prime minister Baburam Bhattarai. The short-term demands called on the state, including the police and the judiciary, to properly investigate and prosecute the guilty in five specific cases which took place immediately prior to the movement's start. The long-term demands focused on policy reform in the arenas of migration and rape laws, among others.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Occupy protests took place in many cities, most notably Amsterdam,^[255] The Hague,^[256] Rotterdam,^[257] and Utrecht^[258]

New Zealand

In October 2011, Occupy protests began in six New Zealand cities (Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill) with protests in Auckland drawing up to 3,000 supporters.^[259] A seventh Occupy protest started on 19 November in the Lower Hutt suburb of Pomare by a group called "Pomare Community Voice" to highlight what they call the "loss of community" caused by the demolition of state homes in the area.^[260]^[261] On 23 January, police moved in on four sites in Auckland. Two arrests were made, and police said campers were in breach of council bylaws regarding camping. The sites were at Aotea Square, 360 Queen St, Victoria Park and Albert Park.^[262]

Nigeria

Occupy Nigeria is an anti-fuel subsidy removal protest that started in Nigeria on 2 January 2012 in response to fuel subsidy removal by the Federal government of Nigeria on 1 January 2012. It is a movement against corruption in Government & public service, insensitive & inhuman treatment of Nigerians by Government & Security agents. The movement ended on 16 January 2012 following agreement between the government and the organized labour leaders which saw a partial restoration of the subsidy regime. Fuel pump price in Nigeria has since then been fixed at the official rate of 97 naira per litre while it practically sells for as high as 130 naira in some major cities including Port Harcourt, one of the cities in the oil-producing states in Nigeria.

Norway

The Occupy movement in Norway began on 15 October with protests in Oslo and Bergen as part of the Global Day of Action.^[263]^[264]

Philippines

The Pandi housing takeover is sometimes seen as part of the global Occupy movement and its opposition to social inequality.^[265]^[266]

In March 2017, thousands of urban poor from the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) led the occupation of vacant government shelters in Pandi, Bulacan, Philippines.^[265] President Rodrigo Duterte announced in April that protesters may be allowed stay in the occupied homes,^[267] though members of Kadamay reported that they continued to be harassed and red-tagged, and have been excluded in the process to legalize their ownership of the housing units.^[265]

Republic of Ireland

Protests were held in Dublin,^[268] Cork, and Galway.^[269] The Irish Times described the movement in the following terms: "The group has no hierarchical structure, has set up a Facebook page and Twitter account – with the social media links attracting a very mixed, and sometimes critical, reaction." The protest in Dublin was organized by "Pots & Pans – Ireland", and #OccupyDameStreet protest group, who then invited Real Democracy Now! Shell to Sea, Tir na Saor and many other non-political groups to participate and all set up camp outside the Central Bank of Ireland in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York. On 22 October it was reported that over 2,000 people took part in a demonstration organized by Occupy Dame Street.^[270] This camp survived through the winter, but was removed by an Garda Síochána (Irish police) on 13 March 2012, days before the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. On the morning of 16 May 2012 at approximately 4:30 am, the Occupy camp in Eyre Square in Galway, the longest-lasting of the Occupy groups in Ireland, was removed by An Garda Síochána and Galway City Council. The camp was removed because the group was illegally occupying a public amenity. At the time the camp was dismantled, there were only 6 protesters at the camp. The camp had lasted for 215 days.^[271]^[272]

South Africa

In South Africa, a movement called Taking Back South Africa! sprung up as an initiative primarily aimed at protesting and inciting mass action against the economic and social inequality in the country. It consists of a loose informal affiliation of on-the-ground groups and individuals across South Africa as well as internet-based groups. During the 2016 Fees Must Fall movement, protest groups also adopted the slogan #Occupy4FreeEducation in response to the government's perceived lack of interest in dealing with the issue.^[273]^[274]

South Korea

Hundreds of protesters held rallies in the South Korean capital of Seoul on 15 and 22 October in 2011 under the slogan of "Occupy Seoul". Protesters focused on issues such as a recent free trade agreement with the United States as well as costs of tuition and rent.^[275]^[276]^[277]

Although there was considerable support from public, there were also criticisms regarding the nature of the protest. Unlike the original Occupy movement which started out as the anti-capitalist protest, many of the catchphrases of Occupy Seoul contained anti-government or anti-American messages. One of the observers has argued that "South Korea overcame the 2008 financial crisis relatively well and there was no serious crisis in financial sector. It is hard to find the legitimate basis of the protest."^[278]

Spain

A series of protests demands a radical change in Spanish politics, as protesters do not consider themselves to be represented by any traditional party nor favoured by the measures approved by politicians.^[279] Spanish media have related the protests to the economic crisis, Stéphane Hessel's Time for Outrage!,^[279] the NEET troubled generation and current protests in the Middle East and North Africa,^[280] Greece,^[281] Portugal^[282] as well as the Icelandic protest and riots in 2009.^[283]

Switzerland

On 15 October 2011, between 500 and 1,000 Occupy protesters demonstrated in front of the offices of UBS and Credit Suisse on the Paradeplatz in Zurich.^[284] 100 protesters later established an occupation on the nearby Lindenhof, which was evicted by the police on 15 November.

Taiwan

Turkey

Thumb — Some of the protesters have styled themselves as #OccupyGezi.

The initial protests in Istanbul on 28 May 2013 were led by about 50 environmentalists^[285] against replacing Taksim Gezi Park with a reconstruction of the Ottoman Era Taksim Military Barracks (the scene of pro Sultan riots in 1909). The current protests developed into riots after the heavy handed police intervention which featured significant use of tear gas and water cannons.^[286] The oppressive reaction to the protests caused the protests to widen with many more people to become involved,^[287] people from many different walks of life including a wide range of political interest groups, secular and religious people, students, gays, feminists, football fans, women in head scarves, whole families, all finding reason to join the protests.^[288]

What started as an environmentalist protest against plans to replace Taksim Gezi Park developed into wider anti-government demonstrations. Demands issued on 4 June included:

The end of police brutality,
The end of the sale of public facilities such as parks, forests and beaches to private investors,
The right of public expression,
Media responsibility in informing the public of events, and other demands.^[289] The protests (up to 500.000 in Istanbul and 30.000 people in Ankara) also spread to other cities in Turkey, and protests were seen in other countries with significant Turkish communities.

United Kingdom

England

As part of the 15 October 2011 global protests, protesters gathered in London, Bristol, and Birmingham in England, together with Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland (See Scotland heading below).^[291] The London Stock Exchange in Paternoster Square was the initial target for the protesters of Occupy London on 15 October 2011.^[132]^[133]^[134] Attempts to occupy the square were thwarted by police.^[133]^[292] Police sealed off the entrance to the square as it is private property, and a High Court injunction had been granted against public access to the square.^[293] 2,500–3,000 people gathered nearby outside St Paul's Cathedral, with 250 camping overnight.^[292] A canon of St. Paul's, Reverend Giles Fraser, said he was happy for people to "exercise their right to protest peacefully" outside the cathedral and an indefinite encampment was established.^[292] Additional smaller protests occurred in Birmingham^[294] and Nottingham.^[295] As of 17 October an indefinite encampment had also been established on College Green in Bristol.^[296]

On 29 October a camp was also established in Victoria Gardens, Brighton, and grew from six tents to around twenty within one week.^[297] Further Occupy camps took place in Liverpool^[298] Bath, Bournemouth University, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Thanet,^[299] Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Exeter, Norwich,^[300] The Occupy Thanet protests also focused on local issues,^[301] including the closure of shops in the town and the Dreamland Margate amusement park, a lack of employment opportunities^[301] and perceived disparities in the allocation of education resources.^[301] Lancaster in England and Cardiff in Wales.^[302] On 8 January 2012, Lancaster Police arrested four members of Occupy Lancaster who were occupying a disused hotel in the city centre.^[303]

On 11 November, police arrested 179 people believed to be EDL supporters^[304] on Armistice Day after apparent threats to the St Paul's camp were posted on Facebook. 176 were released without charge and 3 were bailed "pending further inquiries".^[305]

On 15 November, an Occupy camp was established in the centre of Leicester near the Highcross shopping centre.^[306] On 25 November an Occupy camp was established in Liverpool near the Walker Art Gallery.^[307]^[308] Starting on 30 November 2011 following a national strike action, a body of students occupied the University of Sheffield Arts Tower in solidarity with, but not limited to, the Occupy movement.^[309]^[310]

On 17 October 2014 a new camp was established in Parliament Square, Westminster by a group called Occupy Democracy. The camp was part of a campaign for greater transparency in democracy as well as an end to lobbying.^[311] The camp lasted two days until police swept in, giving protestors 30 minutes to leave or face arrest. Any items that could be used for sleeping have been deemed illegal under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, created after the original occupation. The eviction was live streamed, showing police dragging protesters away.^[312] Police said there was one arrest. Fifty to a hundred protesters remained in the park overnight.^[313] On their website, the group said their goal is "to direct the energy from current single issue struggles into a critical mass that can radically challenge the corrupt and unrepresentative system".^[314]

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, Occupy Belfast initiated its protest outside the offices of Invest NI on 21 October 2011. Occupy Belfast took residence at Writer's Square, in the Cathedral Quarter.^[315] It also took control of a disused building owned by the Bank of Ireland, renaming it the People's Bank, with plans to open a library and homeless accommodation to be a community hub.^[316] It was expected that an Occupy Derry would take place in the near future.

Occupy Coleraine took over the University of Ulster Common Room for three weeks in December 2013.^[317] The group protested the demolition of the historic student-teacher shared space, due for refurbishment as a senior management corporate dining room.^[318]

Scotland

Occupy camps were established in the financial district of St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh on 15 October 2011. St. Andrews Square is the home of the Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters in the Dundas House mansion. Edinburgh City Council subsequently officially backed Occupy Edinburgh and the Occupy movement worldwide. Protesters from Occupy Glasgow set up in the civic George Square on 15 October but after the council obtained a court order moved to Kelvingrove Park, where the council agreed to provide running water, toilets and safety fences.

Wales

In Wales, Occupy Cardiff originally set its campsite outside Cardiff Castle but it was disbanded by police, and some protesters were arrested. Charges were later dropped following calls from trade unionists, lawyers and politicians including Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Labour Party politician Tony Benn and demonstrations outside Cardiff magistrate's court.^[319] Occupy Cardiff set up a new camp in the city, outside the offices of Welsh Labour and a number of trade unions at the Transport House, Cathedral Road.^[302]^[320]

United States

The Occupy Wall Street protests began in New York City on 17 September 2011.^[321] By 9 October, similar demonstrations were either ongoing or had been held in 70 major cities and over 600 communities across the U.S.^[16] The movement rejects existing political institutions and attempts to create alternative ones through direct action and direct democracy.^[74]^[322]^[323] Occupy protesters' slogan, "We are the 99%", asserts that the "99%" pay for the mistakes of the "1%". The original location of choice by the protesters was 1 Chase Plaza, the site of the "Charging Bull" statue, but when police discovered the planned site, it was fenced off and nearby Zuccotti Park was chosen. There was scant media coverage till 24 September when a large march forcing the closure of several streets resulted in 80 arrests. Police used a technique called "netting", the use of orange plastic nets to corral protesters, and the march received extensive media coverage when a video of several "netted" young women being pepper sprayed was widely circulated.^[324]

Media coverage was again sparked on 1 October, when New York City protesters attempted to march across the Brooklyn Bridge and more than 700 arrests were made. Some said the police had tricked protesters, allowing them onto the bridge and even escorting them partway across before they began to make mass arrests. On 25 October, police officers cleared two Occupy Oakland protest camp sites. Protest organizers said that many of the troublemakers were not part of the Occupy movement.^[325] The raid was described as "violent and chaotic at times"^[326] and resulted in over 102 arrests. Scott Olsen, a former Marine and Iraq War veteran, suffered a skull fracture caused by a projectile which witnesses claimed was a tear gas or smoke canister fired by the police.^[327] On 2 November, protesters in Oakland, California, shut down the Port of Oakland, the fifth busiest port in the nation. Police estimated that about 3,000 demonstrators were gathered at the port and 4,500 had marched across the city.^[146]

At about 1:00 am on 15 November, police cleared the Zuccotti Park encampment. Many journalists complained that the police had made a deliberate decision to keep journalists away from the park during the raid.^[328] New York City journalists responded to what they perceived as "alarming suppression, abuse and arrests of reporters" by forming "The Coalition for the First Amendment" to "monitor police-press relations as a way of spotlighting police activities that threaten constitutional protections".^[329] Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie of the International Press Institute commented: "It is completely unacceptable to hinder reporting on a subject that is undoubtedly of public interest. Such reporting is vital to democracy, and authorities at every level of government – federal, state and local – must honour their constitutional obligation not to infringe upon the freedom of the press."^[330]

On 6 December, Occupy Homes, an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street, embarked on a "national day of action" to protest the mistreatment of homeowners by big banks, who they say made billions of dollars off the housing bubble by offering predatory loans and indulging in practices that allegedly took advantage of consumers. In more than two dozen cities across the nation the movement took on the housing crisis by re-occupying foreclosed homes, disrupting bank auctions and blocking evictions.^[83] On 17 September 2012, protesters returned to Zuccotti Park to mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the occupation.^[331]^[332]^[333]