Stephane Hessel is 94. He has recently published a short pamphlet supporting the Occupy movement, linking its energy and values to those of the Free French resistance movement towards the end of World War 2. He argues that those French people who refused to join with the Vichy France government in collaborating with the Nazis after the occupation of France, had to create a new set of values to inspire and energise the rebuilding of French civil society after the war. He argues that these values are still relevant today, and are similar to those espoused by the Occupy movement. This pamphlet has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide since it was published last year. It is called in English Time for Outrage, in French Indignez-vous! and in Spanish Indignaos!
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The story of Stephane Hessel's life is so extraordinary that there is a danger that it may detract from the importance of his message in this pamphlet, so I won't say any more about this right now. On the other hand, his story provides this message with unusual moral authority. His integrity, authenticity and personal modesty are evident in a recent interview with Democracy Now! which can be viewed in full at: http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/10/10/stphane_hessel_on_occupy_wall_street_find_the_time_for_outrage_when_your_values_are_not_respected
Hessel S (2010): Time for Outrage! London: Quartet books
To create is to resist
To resist is to create
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