Press Release: OCCUPY WONGA

On May Day 2014, Occupy Wonga will be breaking off from the main May Day parade to visit a secret target connected to pay day loans. This action is in Solidarity with a worldwide day of action on Mayday 2014.

There will be an Occupy London Assembly as part of the action. JOIN US !!!

In 2011, Occupy London came together with a clear message: The banks are the problem and “we refuse to pay for their crisis”.

In 2014, with ‘austerity’ still being pushed by politicians as some kind of answer to the ongoing crisis of capitalism, too many of us are paying and are on the edge of debt slavery. Pay day loan companies are the new economic fascists, their ‘clients’ including victims of the bedroom tax, fuel poverty, benefit cuts, Atos assessments and others suffering under the government’s austerity programme. Companies like QuickQuid, the Money Shop and Wonga are not helping us, despite their claims to be the good guys – they are holding us in debt bondage and further extending the widening gap between rich and poor. We see the most vulnerable people in society being charged immoral interest rates; the very people the government should be protecting are being enslaved by these companies. If you feel that something should be done about ‘Pay Day’ loans, join us in London on May Day (May 1st).

Occupy Wonga hereby calls for a complete end to Pay Day loans and and an immediate stop to all Pay Day loan advertising.

On May Day Occupy Wonga will be paying Wonga some interest but not with 5,853% APR

May Day Itinerary:-

12:00 (High Noon) Assemble at Clerkenwell Green.

13:00 March sets off

2:30 Rally in Trafalgar Square in Honour of Tony Benn and Bob Crow.

As soon as the rally is finished, we march. When we arrive at the target we will occupy a space and Occupy London will hold a General Assembly on site; the assembly agenda will be confirmed on the day, by those present.

Supporting this action on the day will be:- *Occupy London *Disabled People Against The Cuts *Fuel Poverty Action *ClassWar *The Resistance Movement Of The UK

Speakers on the day: some still tbc

Barb Jacobsong to speak about the Basic Income.

David Graeber on wage slavery and pay day loans.

Fuel Poverty Action and DPAC talking about the effects of payday loans on their groups.

Also speakers from Occupy Finance and hopefully some eviction resistance groups about being one pay day away from eviction.

We aim to continue the campaign by persuading Newcastle United to drop its sponsorship with Wonga and, if we get the momentum, a national payday loans default day May day 2015. TBC.

“Lets make next MayDay an uprising against Austerity” – Tony Benn

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May Day has been celebrated in London since the 1880s. The London May Day Organising Committee has ensured this key day of international solidarity is marked every 1 May maintaining the traditions of unity and solidarity in London.

London’s May Day has been a unique bringing together of trade unionists, workers from the many international communities in London, pensioners, anti-globalisation organisations, students, political bodies and many others in a show of working class unity

The theme of May Day is unity and solidarity – across the city, across the country, across the world. Three constant calls have been made – trade union rights, human rights, international solidarity.

Find our more on the march and rally in London from the London May Day Organising Committee.