Loni Morganelli
American Paralegal in London
As most of our readers know, Loni Morganelli writes for The Estrin Report and contributes international posts. Working at a major firm in London, she gives us a global view of the legal world. Yesterday, she experienced angry, masked protestors aiming their wrath at financial and law office employees. Here is what she has to say from London:
London's Falling.....A Call for Mercy
As many of you have seen on the news in the last 24 hours, huge, violent protests are taking place in the City of London. Thousands of protestors took to the streets yesterday and again today ahead of the G20 Summit. This meeting of the minds is a conference where the top 20 wealthiest countries in the world gather to combat large-scale global issues. At today's meeting, the primary focus is on the global economic crisis.
Yesterday, angry, masked protestors hoping to make a statement put up effigies of bankers and lawyers who work in London's financial district and burned them while below, hundreds chanted and cheered. Many firms and businesses in the area sent out security warnings to their staff urging them to "dress down" for the next couple of days in order to "blend in" with the demonstrators. Sadly, all of us who work in this area are targets for the protestors' wrath. My office is located in the heart of London's financial district. On Tuesday, we began receiving security warnings from the London Police and from our own in-house Emergency Broadcast System urging us to heed warnings and be vigilant.
After watching the mayhem disperse across the city yesterday, and fighting my way into the office, I opted to work from home today. I did not want to experience the kind of terror as I did yesterday, ever again. We literally took our lives into our hands to get through the violence.
As you read this, I've just been informed that my building is currently surrounded by protestors - the police just barely able to hold them back. Their motive is to get us - all who work in finance and law. They believe we are responsible, we are the targets. But I plead for mercy to these anarchists - we are all not responsible. Many of us are just support staff - the dedicated, honest paralegals and legal assistants who go to work every day to make and earn a living, certainly not to be greedy and take away from other hard-working individulas.
So my message is this - please be informed about this global crisis. Learn who is truly responsible and do not stoop to the level of protestors who go out and try to attack, both verbally and/or physically, innnocent workers who have done nothing to create this disaster. There are greater powers at hand who are responsible for this devastating mess.
Copyright C.B.Estrin. All rights reserved. Reprints with permission only.
