Occupy Wall Street St. Patrick's Day event to recognize Irish history of oppression

A silent procession at Zuccotti Park will take place on Saturday

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MOLLY MULDOON,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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Visit our St. Patrick's Day section for more news, recipes, history and "craic"

The Occupy Wall Street movement is recognizing the ‘Irish History of Oppression by the British Empire’ on St. Patrick’s Day, to mark the six month anniversary of their call to action.

During this Saturday’s event at Zuccotti Park, potatoes will be blessed in commemoration of the Irish famine and to represent food sustainability.

Jessica Hall, an OCS representative, told IrishCentral that similar to Irish immigrants displaced by the Irish famine, so many millions of Americans have been displaced by banks.

“Banks have control over people's homes and mortgages and similarly, in Irish history, people had to give up their land to receive relief,” Hall told IrishCentral.

In a statement, organizers said that they want to “connect this oppression historically with oppression of indigenous and tribal people, the impoverished and working class around the world”.

On March 17, a silent procession at Zuccotti Park will take place. Speakers will address food sustainability, housing, healthcare, and the economy. Potatoes will be blessed and distributed for planting on the following day in a “planting seeds of change” demonstration.

Last week Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee rejected an application from OWS to hold the St. Patrick’s Day demonstration at the Irish Famine Memorial.

Visit our St. Patrick's Day section for more news, recipes, history and "craic"

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