With a hibernating Occupy Wall
Street movement gearing up to reassert itself in the spring and fall, and their
targets ranging from the Democratic National Convention to the NATO members
summit, the Obama administration announced on Monday its intention to relocate
the G-8 meeting from Chicago to the private Camp David retreat on May 18 – 19 instead
of the original May 20 – 21.
The late location change will force
leaders of the G-8 nations to rearrange their scheduling plans. The Obama administration
said in a statement released to the press that the location change was to “facilitate
a free-flowing discussion.” They did not suggest why a “free-flowing discussion”
was impossible in Chicago, but let’s clear up any confusion – Occupy Wall
Street.
The populist movement that was born
on September 17, 2011, has gone underground after a series of satellite encampments
in a number of cities across the nation and around the world were shut down by police
and the resident protesters scattered.
Occupy reportedly has a number of
agitation experts on staff, including some who masterminded
the 1999 protests of the World Trade Organization in Seattle where 40,000
protesters clashed with police in and were met with rubber bullets and tear
gas. The “optics” of a clash with college-age protesters ahead of a contentious
election year would be troubling for the President – particularly in his home
town where his campaign headquarters are located.
The G-8 summit in Camp David in May
will host leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United
Kingdom and Canada and the United States.
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