# Canonical recap data for Occupy Movement Spreads Globally (2011)
# Source: https://recap.at/2011/occupy-global-movement
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: occupy-global-movement
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2011/occupy-global-movement"
title: Occupy Movement Spreads Globally
aliases:
- "#Occupy"
- Occupy Wall Street
- OWS
- The 99 Percent Movement
subtitle: From Wall Street to the world, the anti-capitalist uprising galvanized youth activism and reshaped discourse on inequality across continents.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2011-09-17
datePrecision: day
year: 2011
decade: 2010
summaryShort: "The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of authentic democracy around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and economic justice and different forms of democracy. The movement has had many "
summaryLong: The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of authentic democracy around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and economic justice and different forms of democracy. The movement has had many different scopes, since local groups often had different focuses, but its prime concerns included how large corporations and the global financial system control the world in a way that disproportionately benefits a minority, undermines democracy and causes instability.
lede: In September 2011, protesters began occupying Zuccotti Park in New York's Financial District to oppose economic inequality and corporate influence in politics. The movement spread rapidly across the United States and to over 80 countries, becoming one of the largest coordinated protest campaigns of the decade and reshaping how activism mobilized around wealth disparities.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg/1280px-Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Occupy movement"
importance: 85
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Primary location launch
  value: Zuccotti Park, Lower Manhattan, September 17, 2011
- label: Countries where movement spread
  value: Over 80 countries across six continents
- label: Estimated peak US participation
  value: Hundreds of thousands across simultaneous demonstrations
- label: Duration of original NYC occupation
  value: September 17, 2011 – November 15, 2011 (60 days)
- label: Key slogan
  value: "\"We are the 99%\" (referencing wealth concentration among top 1%)"
- label: Organizational structure
  value: Leaderless, consensus-based decision making via general assemblies
- label: Estimated arrests in NYC occupation
  value: Over 700 during initial phase
- label: Major international convergence
  value: "October 15, 2011: simultaneous protests in 951 cities"
timeline:
- date: 2011-09-17
  title: Occupation of Zuccotti Park begins
  description: Approximately 2,000 protesters occupy Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan after a call-to-action by Adbusters magazine. Organizers camp overnight, establishing a permanent presence and establishing general assemblies as decision-making body.
- date: 2011-09-24
  title: First major march and police confrontation
  description: Several thousand protesters march through Manhattan streets. NYPD uses pepper spray on demonstrators, incidents captured on video and broadcast widely, amplifying media coverage and public attention.
- date: 2011-10-05
  title: Day of Action brings tens of thousands
  description: October 5 coordinated demonstrations bring an estimated 30,000+ people to Lower Manhattan. Labor unions, students, and community groups join the occupation camp, broadening the coalition.
- date: 2011-10-15
  title: Global day of action reaches 951 cities
  description: Occupy movement simultaneously protests in 951 cities across six continents. Largest coordinated protest day of the movement, demonstrating rapid international spread and organizational capacity.
- date: 2011-11-15
  title: NYPD removes Zuccotti Park encampment
  description: New York City police conduct early-morning raid, dismantling the physical occupation camp and arresting 147 protesters. Marks symbolic end of the original 60-day occupation, though movement continues in different forms.
- date: 2011-12-10
  title: Occupy moves to symbolic sites worldwide
  description: As winter weather and police pressure disperse outdoor occupations, movement pivots to symbolic occupations of foreclosed homes, university buildings, and government offices in hundreds of locations globally.
- date: 2012-05-12
  title: May Day protests revive street presence
  description: Occupy-aligned May Day demonstrations in major US and international cities renew visible street activism, though with reduced scale compared to 2011 peak.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement"
  title: Occupy movement
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Occupy shifted mainstream conversation about wealth inequality, corporate power, and democratic representation into the early 2010s political landscape. While lacking centralized leadership made lasting institutional change difficult, the movement's framing of the "1% vs. 99%" became embedded in political discourse and influenced subsequent labor organizing, progressive campaigns, and protest tactics worldwide.
categories:
- protest
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- protest
- occupation_movement
- activist_campaign
- online_mobilization
canonicalClasses:
- mobilization
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: cascading
predictability: emergent
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: growth
metaDescription: Global protest movement against economic inequality and corporate influence, 2011–2012. Occupied public spaces, shaped political discourse.
wikidataQid: Q939103
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Protesters Gather to Occupy Wall Street
  publishedAt: 2011-09-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Hundreds of protesters descended on the Financial District in lower Manhattan to demonstrate against corporate greed and economic inequality, marking the beginning of what would become a global movement.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-guardian
  headline: "Occupy Wall Street Spreads: From New York to London and Beyond"
  publishedAt: 2011-10-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The anti-capitalism movement that began in Manhattan has ignited protests across Europe and beyond, with thousands gathering in city centres to voice anger at the financial system and political establishment.
  significance: 89
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Der Spiegel
  publisherSlug: der-spiegel
  headline: "Occupy-Bewegung erfasst die Welt / EN: Occupy Movement Sweeps the World"
  publishedAt: 2011-10-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "DE: 'Die Protestbewegung gegen Banken und Ungleichheit hat nun auch Deutschland erreicht' / EN: 'The protest movement against banks and inequality has now reached Germany as well, with major demonstrations planned in Frankfurt and Berlin.'"
  significance: 82
  type: magazine
  region: Germany
- publisher: Reuters
  publisherSlug: reuters
  headline: Occupy Protests Erupt Across 80 Cities Worldwide
  publishedAt: 2011-10-16
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - In a coordinated global day of action, Occupy movements staged simultaneous demonstrations across major cities from Tokyo to Toronto, demanding systemic economic and political reform.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: International
- publisher: BBC News
  publisherSlug: bbc-news
  headline: Who Are the Occupy Protesters and What Do They Want?
  publishedAt: 2011-10-18
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - As the leaderless movement continues to gain momentum globally, BBC correspondents examine the diverse grievances uniting protesters from disparate backgrounds across continents.
  significance: 79
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
peoplesVoice:
- source: Barack Obama, US President
  voiceType: official
  context: Obama addressed the movement's core grievances while maintaining cautious distance from protest tactics in October 2011.
  excerpt: I think it expresses the frustrations that the American people feel about not having a platform to voice their concerns.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: Press conference, White House, October 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-10-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Paul Krugman, Economist and New York Times Columnist
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Krugman validated the movement's economic critique as legitimate in real-time coverage during peak momentum.
  excerpt: The protesters have a point. We really do have a two-tiered system where the wealthy are insulated from the crisis.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 82
  attribution: New York Times column, October 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-10-13
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation Chairman
  voiceType: industry
  context: Murdoch dismissed the movement as unfocused and lacking coherent demands, reflecting conservative business establishment skepticism.
  excerpt: They haven't really got a clear message. It's all a bit of a muddle, isn't it?
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Bloomberg interviews, November 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-11-04
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Naomi Klein, Author and Activist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Klein positioned Occupy as a watershed moment for anti-capitalist sentiment, capturing the movement's historical significance for sympathetic observers.
  excerpt: This is the most important grassroots movement to emerge in the United States in at least a decade. The people have spoken.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 80
  attribution: The Nation magazine, October 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-10-25
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Juan Manuel Santos, Colombian President
  voiceType: official
  context: Santos acknowledged the global reach of anti-inequality sentiment as Occupy demonstrations spread across Latin America in late 2011.
  excerpt: "ES: 'Estos movimientos reflejan una desigualdad que existe en todo el mundo' / EN: 'These movements reflect inequality that exists throughout the world'"
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Press statement, Colombian Presidential Palace, November 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-11-18
  originalLanguage: es
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20111024041453/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Occupy_movement"
  capturedAt: 2011-10-24
  label: Occupy movement
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg/1280px-Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg/800px-Combination_of_October_2011_global_protests.jpg"
  caption: Occupy movement
  credit: Wikipedia · "Occupy movement"
  width: 330
  height: 357
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Occupy_Irvine_Village_%286263983818%29.jpg/1280px-Occupy_Irvine_Village_%286263983818%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Occupy_Irvine_Village_%286263983818%29.jpg/800px-Occupy_Irvine_Village_%286263983818%29.jpg"
  caption: Occupy Irvine Village (6263983818)
  credit: Occupy Irvine
  width: 1024
  height: 768
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Cornel_West_Speaking_at_Occupy_Seattle_2011-16-11.webm/1280px--Cornel_West_Speaking_at_Occupy_Seattle_2011-16-11.webm.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Cornel_West_Speaking_at_Occupy_Seattle_2011-16-11.webm/800px--Cornel_West_Speaking_at_Occupy_Seattle_2011-16-11.webm.jpg"
  caption: Cornel West Speaking at Occupy Seattle 2011-16-11
  credit: Cornel West
  width: 640
  height: 480
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Department_of_Homeland_Security_surveillance_of_Occupy_Wall_Street.pdf/page1-960px-Department_of_Homeland_Security_surveillance_of_Occupy_Wall_Street.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Department_of_Homeland_Security_surveillance_of_Occupy_Wall_Street.pdf/page1-960px-Department_of_Homeland_Security_surveillance_of_Occupy_Wall_Street.pdf.jpg"
  caption: Department of Homeland Security surveillance of Occupy Wall Street
  credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  width: 1275
  height: 1650
