Occupy Movement Confronts "Public Debate" of GOP Primary Pt. 2

BURLINGTON: Picking up from my post from yesterday, following a group of Occupiers from Burlington as they confront the GOP candidates and highlight the inequality of the corporate funded election system in America. The intrepid crew of Vermonters began the day by waking up at 5am and traveling to Concord to begin planning for the morning's GOP debate in that city. After scouting several buildings surrounding the debate hall, the Vermonters assisted in unfurling an Occupy banner proclaiming "THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN" that immediately captured the attention of the national press corps.

Throughout the morning, Occupiers were stationed at a variety of locations outside the debate hall and armed themselves with songs and chants such as "Solidarity Forever", "Get up, get down, Concord is a Union town!" (which was subsequently echoed by a crowd of union workers across the street), as well as "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!", as well as many thunderous repetitions of "WE ARE THE 99 PERCENT!"

At approximately 9:15, a group of Occupiers from various parts of the country attempted to gain access into what was billed as public debate. Their stated reasons for wishing to attend the debate were that the if the candidates were holding a public forum on public property then they should therefore be open to any questions put to them by those who could potentially by their constituents by this time next year. Unsurprisingly, both the political security forces for each candidate as well as the Concord municipal police department refused to grant entry into the supposedly public forum and debate.

Approximately 15 minutes after the initial attempt to gain entry into the public forum and debate, an Occupier who insisted on speaking to the candidates re-attempted to gain access to the public forum and was subsequently restrained, thrown to the ground, and arrested.

Following this event and the conclusion of the debate, Occupiers (including those from Vermont) gathered at the various exits of the building and protested several positions stated by the respective candidates as they exited the building. Among the positions protested against were Newt Gingrich's proposition to overturn child labor laws as well as his characterization of African-American men, Rick Santorum's statement that equated homosexual relationships with bestiality, and Ron Paul's opposition to a woman's right to choose.

For more photographs by Dylan Kelley please visit his photography blog here.