Occupy Wall Street is protesting again Wednesday, this time with the aerospace and defense finance industries in its sights.
As Aviation Week and Credit Suisse hold their 17th annual Aerospace & Defense Finance Conference at the bank’s New York offices, Occupy Wall Street plans to greet them nearby with two demonstrations.
Early Wednesday morning, protesters met in Madison Square Park to "greet" delegates as they entered the conference.
A “rally against militarism” is planned for the afternoon, at 4:30 p.m.
The conference, featuring 30 industry CEOs, features investment and growth strategies and allows participants to get “competitive intelligence” and “discover investment opportunities,” organizers say.
Occupy Wall Street charges that those gathering at the Madison Avenue conference site are “war profiteers” who “export death in the name of defense.”
“They have obscene influence over our democracy with politicians in their pockets and hundreds of lobbyists working Congress,” the Occupiers say on their website. “They sell arms to the 1% so that war can be waged against the 99% in efficient and technologically advanced ways.”
A Credit Suisse spokesperson said, “Credit Suisse hosts a variety of research conferences that focus on a number of sectors and industries for our clients and the investing community. As in years past, the aerospace and defense conference, cosponsored by Aviation Week, has invited media to attend to ensure the meetings are public.”
An Aviation Week Events spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment late Tuesday afternoon.
The Occupiers’ last big march was nearly two weeks ago, on Nov. 17, when thousands of protesters marched on Wall Street and onto the Brooklyn Bridge. That followed the police’s overnight raid to break up their tent headquarters in Zuccotti Park a few days before.
