[jammies]

I think what the protesters want is right in the title of the event - empowerment. If you're too cynical or thick to understand that this is important, that's your own failing, not theirs.

Of course there will be be a lot of loonies out there who just want someone to give them pretty things. There always a quotient of fringe idiots in any demographic you care to examine, so why should protesters be any different? That doesn't mean that protest is not worthwhile - anyone with an inkling of how democracy SHOULD work should applaud this event, whether or its goals or against them. You cannot maintain a vibrant democracy with a uniformly apathetic and disengaged constituency.