it's being called the mother of all strikes and of the mainstream media paints a picture of violent and angry protesters r.t. asks what's marking the fire as this is a sign of worse things to come and will anyone come to the rescue. and from greece to the u.s. protesters occupying wall street under their second month of holding their ground but as they look for blame who is the enemy number one on wall street or washington . and there's also a grad fire red hot light going on in chile this one education but as students

fight for what they say is their fundamental right what can move inside occupy wall street learn from these two am protests. it's wednesday october nineteenth four pm in washington d.c. i'm liz wall and you're watching artsy old violent riots in greece as tens of thousands of people protest the proposed austerity plan the e.u. and i.m.f. are demanding deep cuts in exchange for a bailout package in order to prevent the falls there's fear that without the bailout the rest of the eurozone will spiral into economic collapse meanwhile greece faces rising unemployment and massive government debt legislators are voting on bills that would hike taxes and cut salaries but protesters don't want to pay as

they're taking their fury to the streets of athens a forty eight hour strike is shutting down the country governed. agencies closed their doors to take part in the strike price have been flights have been grounded and services are at a standstill more than one hundred thousand workers and students gathered in the streets of the capital and in front of the parliament building the demonstrations turning ugly police fired tear gas at the mob protesters firing back at them with petrol bombs and stones well it's obvious people are angry but what exactly is sparking the fire there is a feeling that things there are not fair why should the public have to carry the burden of the debt why do the everyday workers have to suffer and in a system that employs a million public sector workers they don't seem to they don't want to see not layoffs and their salaries cut down loading but downsizing the government will save the saved money will directly affect all of the quality of life for people there so

are these austerity measures and violent rising protests a sign of worse things to come and will anyone come to greece's rescue our correspondent there for us is on the grounds of bring us the latest. with the riot police still waiting to clear the remaining protesters at a hair on syntagma square nowhere near the amount of people we saw earlier when hundreds of thousands turned out it's the biggest protest we sustained since the beginning of the financial crisis and we saw more of these violent clashes that we've seen before but i really i can't quite describe here i mean actually seen if it is by now the scenes that we saw here at the station really are violent clashes broke out you can still see is very dark and maybe that there are a lot of riot police still on the streets and we do have sort of more irakis movements that remain on the streets still and having those run ins with the riot

they've managed to calm the situation a lot but as we said scenes of devastation just devastation on the streets of athens the streets just been destroyed they had a lot of the buildings on fire earlier although when they fronts have been smashed there was a very large me he sneezed and then they were saying you know they're trying to live under these conditions they're watching their parents struggle in his job losses in the country we discontinued tracks like this incredibly hard news saying to stay this is the country in the future that they're going to inherit you know it's very concerning earlier when we saw the chaotic situation break a very very quickly this is always escalate quite fast just the sheer number of children that we've seen a sixteen seventeen years old had been down there telling us think they felt his obligation to fight this after this holiday really is a battle here though battle scenes that we saw earlier today as the violence broke out very disturbing indeed and who's really now the year is a need is to find

a different approach the criticism right from the start has been a year to adapt to the situation to the year isn't quite as we've heard analysts saying that they believe their own rhetoric they didn't think that the crisis where that happened in the usa and it did and the institutions in the mechanisms. do it so simply not like we're still a small outbreaks of public people saying they simply had enough baby call what could these conditions and evil they will think. meanwhile from coast to coast here in the u. last protesters voicing their fury over the economic system occupy wall street protests have grown exponentially and have suppressed in cities around the globe they're protesting corporate greed and corruption with the biggest say is lining the pockets of a privileged few at the expense of the masses the movement once ignored and mocked by political leaders and the mainstream media is now being taken seriously we've been seeing republican presidential candidates changing their tune when it comes to

the growing movement mitt romney for example first called the occupy wall street movement dangerous class warfare but when asked about the protest during last night's present presidential debate here's what he had to say. we've had a president responsible for this economy for the last three years and he's failed us he's failed us in court because he has no idea how the private sector works or how to create jobs on every single issue he's made it harder for our economy to reboot and as a result we have twenty five million americans out of work or stopped looking for work or part time work and can't get full time employees home values going down you have median income in america that in the last three years has dropped by ten percent americans are hurting across this country and the president's out there campaigning why isn't he governing. so who's to blame wall street or washington joining me now from our studio in los angeles michael prysner a member of the party for a socialism and liberation and he's also an iraq war veteran and from our studio

here in d.c. had our ceremonial conservative political commentator and strategy yes i'll start with a you michael our protesters taking at take our protests is taking out their anger at the wrong people should they be protesting and washington and set of wall street . well i think absolutely the people who are protesting are not just in wall street but the tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands who have come out all across the country of course should be angry at washington and should be directing their anger at washington for being the loyal servants of that one percent you know the do to fall out politicians for the rich but i think that we need to go beyond that and i think that's actually what's happened in this occupy movement is they've gone beyond the politics and beyond the politicians and realize that it's the economic system that is the cause of so much hardship it's the system of capitalism that is incapable of meeting the needs of people a system that must have unemployment that must have budget cuts that must have

people hungry and people struggling and so i think people are making the correct connections that we are angry at these millionaire politicians who really don't represent our interests that represent the interest of one percent there's been a real qualitative change and people's consciousness and understanding that the current system we live under of the system of profits over people is really the root of the problem and you know herman cain is also placing the blame on washington and let's hear what he had to say at last night's debate. they might be frustrated with wall street and the bankers are directing their anger at the wrong place wall street put in so you remember this is wall street didn't spend a trillion dollars that didn't do any good wall street there's a lot around the country trying to sell another four hundred fifty billion dollars . from an ally of ours for a story. herman cain says wall street didn't put

in failed economic policies but wall street seems to be one of the few that is doing better financially they got bailed out but they still got their big bonus says there's no question that they influence decisions in washington doesn't make sense doesn't it make sense that protesters are angry out wall street well i think that it makes sense that there is a lot of unrest on both sides of the aisle you know you have to a lot of comparisons between the tea party and occupy wall street or d.c. or los angeles or whatever you want to say because people are frustrated and let's not forget that the occupy wall street crowd has changed it started off kind of being a small group of anarchists and it's changed into with money from move on dot org and some other nations that's changed into a big left sort of rally so the demands of change and the direction is change i think there are similarities to the tea party and occupy wall street in

that we want change there needs to be change we recognize that the question is is it bigger government or is it less government and that's that if you have wall street though let's not forget that wall street is the creator of a lot of jobs as well it's not just you know a lot of people who are millionaires who keep all the money for themselves but they reinvest that money to create more jobs so yes there are some fact cats obviously there are people who can use the money that they make but there are also a lot of people who are reinvesting and giving people jobs that we so desperately need it's not washington that creates jobs it's the private sector michael do you agree do you agree that it's wall street there are job creators. well look i mean it's ridiculous to say that somehow the movement has grown because of the influx of funding by left wing organizations this is a spontaneous uprising of people from all walks of life from all sectors of society who are being forced and pushed into political motion into action because of the experience the experiences that they're living under from college students who get

a degree and can't find a job to unemployed who have lost their jobs after decades of work and get no assistance to families who are struggling to to make their health care bill i mean this is a unanimous a feeling among people that the system isn't working for them and they're coming into the streets not because some paid organization is mobilizing image in the streets but because people today have no other option but to fight back because the attacks have been coming on them for years and years and years and to say that wall street somehow is the solution to this is absolutely ridiculous look with the unemployment numbers counting those who are web stop looking for work counting those who are severely underemployed we have forty million people in the united states who are out of work or who are severely under severely under played forty million people not unemployed because they do not want to work not an unemployed because they are lazy or they don't want a job they are unemployed because capitalism this system is incapable of providing them jobs because the rich the bankers the wall street c.e.o.'s they are not hiring

them despite making record profits for themselves despite getting billions in bailout money they are continuing to lay off workers because they are speculating that will cut into their own private profits and their own bonus checks that is the system we live under it doesn't matter how you manage that system doesn't matter which political party is the one that is in control of the system of capitalism capitalism cannot exist without masses of unemployed and without people who are hungry and struggling i probably have at least one presidential candidate that believes that the american dream and is not so noble anymore at let's take a rest rick santorum fab and last night's debate. believe it or not but it has been done the job in western europe people the lower part of the income scale actually have a better mobility going up the ladder now than in america so do people have a better shot at of the abbey american dream and europe now is that what it's come

to wasn't that's the real question that's the real debate that we need to be having and i'm greg i'm glad that rick santorum brought that up last night and i hope that more discussion goes on about that because that's what really is that state the american dream not whether the middle class is threatened but whether people can still move up you know whether you're still stuck in your current situation and i think that is at least partly what is fueling a lot of these these protests around the country is that people feel stuck my question though to michael would be you know what is the solution is it bigger government providing jobs to the people or is it you know the capitalist system that we have is really the pound asian where the american dream michel i think you would say that there are there definitely needs to be some change as to what their response to what how they're just that. well you know the system of capitalism the system we live under the way society is organized right now is a dictatorship of the rich it is the interests of that one percent that reign

supreme doesn't matter if you're a republican or a democrat those are the interest that you're representing and i think what people are realizing is that this system is not meeting our needs and what the solution is is turning that equation on its head of this one percent that has all of this money that we create that working families create that union members create you know the sixteen trillion dollar a year economy that sikander into wars that most people oppose that siphon didn't have being bell out that siphoned into the private profits of not even really a one percent but a point zero one percent of the population the solution is saying that the wealth of society in the richest country in history should be used to meet human needs that right now today if we redirected the resources in this country could provide every single person with free healthcare every single child with free health care we could put every single young person through college up to a doctorate for free we could provide every single person with a home we could provide every single person with the right to

a job all of these funds are actually there we already create all of the wealth but this system is set up so that a tiny group of the population are the ones that make the decisions and how our wealth is spent and i think that i would does it matter. that's what i would say that what you're advocating is a totally different foundation that what we are our nation was founded of climbed you know the people came over to create a system where you could actually move from one economic rebel to another that you could achieve your dreams and what michael is advocating is going to socialist society which i know he does he wears that moniker so he's not ashamed to say that he would be for that and that's completely different from what america was founded as we are founded as a nation that does allow people to achieve their. eames and so that's what really frightens right now i think that's why we're having this debate and i do hope that more presidential candidates talk about how our american dream is at stake and i think

a lot of people on both sides of the aisle would not agree that we need to change the whole fabric of our nation to make it more socialist ok well i want to hear from both both of you in a moment but i want to turn now to our to one of our correspondents was that oh well it takes a look at two grassroots movements to see a focus on the street and really tell the difference between it's here. with all the hoopla surrounding the relationship between the occupy wall street movement and the tea party camp i hit the streets to find out computer you can tell the difference everyone they derive power and wealth from their access to our money in taxpayer dollars they use it beyond their friends on wall street and their corporate cronies there's a name for this is called corporate crony capitalism. i would say that probably is going for the wall street types. i would guess the tea party but i don't know for sure it is the same position that those take but i do believe very capitalism

sounds like article i will. sarah pail and sarah palin and she's the mistress of ronnie capitalism number two it's not a choice of the lesser of two evils it's often the choice of the evil of two lesser . overrun. if that's to the tea party no you know what anybody could say that. that sounds like a tea party thing to do. i generally think it could be either. i'm going to show you a couple of signs and they're either going to be from the tea party rally or from an opera wall street rally was close enough or one. that would be the occupy wall street correct second one. that looks like a tea party thing corrects. that

i would assume to be the occupy wall street but just because of this. you know i think it's still occupy wall street now it's time for a chance like the tea party. occupy wall street next to last. that's going to be the tea party correct. last one i think is a softball. i think that's actually motto for all of both of them going to. the window they're very very similar movements there as if they're very similar. well there you have it it seems the occupy wall street movement and the tea party may have a bit more in common than they care to admit the party from washington i'm adriano said oh artie. well you can't deny that there are some similarities between the two groups but what is the fundamental difference between the two well like i said

before i think the main similarity is that people are mad as hell one of those signs showed that the main difference is that the occupy wall street crowd now not the original one but the one now that is much more liberal than the original one is saying that they want more government they want government to take care of their needs whereas the tea party would say that no we need less government and the way we can operate better and the way we can make some positive changes our society is having less government interference in our lives like those occupy wall street the tea party of the left. no i would say absolutely not i would say that you know the american dream that heather mentioned is a nightmare for most americans which is why so many people have been coming into the streets you know the when this country was founded on a system of capitalism and a system of slavery really you know the gap between the rich and the poor since that point have constantly been growing and now we're at the biggest gap between

the rich and the poor if ever in u.s. history this is a crisis that is global and that it's hitting every single capitalist country in the world showing that it systemic it has nothing to do with how that individual governments are running their capitalist country even you know bush laconic this and pro-capitalist economists will talk about the boom and bust cycle of capitalism this is the crises like the one that we're in today are built into this system and capitalism cannot exist without these crises and every time there's a crisis there are tens of millions of people who lose their livelihood who get work kicked out of their homes who lose their jobs for no other reason other than the the way that this system is set up and so the occupy wall street movement and people that are saying that we are the ninety nine percent directing our anger against the one percent was the rule of the one percent over the ninety nine percent that's capitalism that is a system of capitalism and turning that on its head and saying that the ninety nine percent who want to make all the money should make all the decisions and decide how

that money is spent and rule over that one percent that is socialist and that and while that has been very clearly expressed a very large i think those are the formulation that people are beginning to me than that percentage that might work if i'm mentioning that ninety nine percent versus the one is very misleading gives the impression that you know ninety nine percent of them americans are for what occupy wall street is advocating for and we're not i mean yes as we see more news stories about what is going on and more people on the streets there are more people improvise i empathize with what's going on i empathize with them the question is how do we solve that problem. more government it's not changing government not anarchy but the how we do it is we minimize government government become too big or too many abuses and we've seen you know government bail out wall street and that was not helpful either that's one of the reasons why we have so much experience wall street so be ruthless and be close we we do need to have a better tax but a simpler tax code we're not asking warriors to help if you know because of

a bind so you know i agree empathize what's going on with our here by wall street just like you are with the tea party the question is how to address the problems all right and i'm going to have to end the debate there thank you both for joining us that was iraq war war that a number of the party for socialism and liberation michael prysner and conservative political commentator and strategists heather certain. and from wall street agrees to chile unrest over the economic policies and the chilean capital of santiago protests erupt over education reform of the demonstrations have turned violent protesters have set up burning barricades blocking traffic and the anger is aimed specifically at the education system there which they say is unequal to the leaders are demanding the reform of the system they want the government to step in and control education and public money into the system in chile it seems the attitude

is no matter who you are no matter what your financial standing education is a fundamental right so what if anything can americans learn from this joining me now from morris freelance multimedia journalist bertie patterson for anything for joining us so you didn't you risk being because protests across the united states a similarity between the two movements is a anger over and equality what cannot apply wall street learn from the protesters in chile. well it one thing that has really upset a lot of the massive protests here in chile is that when you mention some people are not keeping it peaceful the. movement has been incredibly impressive with its level of organisation with how well spoken the student leaders are how clear there clearly is in there to me and they are making but what has really messed up the perspective for a lot of people is the violence that has taken place and so i think that arco what

you have to look at reach out to keeping everything peace taught in the u.s. has a lot of good examples to look at in its own history as far as civil disobedience in peaceful protests goes so to people thought is one thing that the u.s. can can surely hold out in front of them for this we're infestation and statements and you know our guy was very has been criticized for having scattered demands and not having a central focus until his case they've narrowed it down to education as i got her was very near to the same. but i didn't get anything done through an organized democratic government we have elected yet it will eventually need to have a very focused. plan ahead ahead of it but at the students clearly has been around for about five years now the two thousand and six movement there are many high school students that are protesting today there are universities in the u.k. school students are working this well so really truly has a long history of knowing exactly what the to me and so for the education system

and you've been so organise for a long time now and it works so much to you that. we have had a good history of going for them so it's going to take some time to get there but yes pretty spotty of course will have to be organized i think but if you get it right now is that it's not work yet it's getting there were people are experiencing what is democracy looks like let's rethink the american dream in class just the creative process that's happening now in i think eventually the ideas will become clear and you know it here in the us the cost of college is skyrocketing so dense are burdened with exorbitant sums of holiday that gone are the days where education as a portable to everyone so that extent that you compare the problems of education and their education system in chile the problems here in the here and here in the us. so the biggest up to a loser is student debt that is attacking so many families it's really hard to say

it's too strong in the u.s. or if it's done. but only. that soon so we're going to school until late and huge amounts of debt your middle class family are not able to access loans that look past the only access and so a lot of families that may have three or four kids in university at the same time here in l.a. have periods who are both working but their king for four university educations and what monthly tuition is the cost that is the same case that the and we will bring in in one month and so it's so hard and so they're not getting loans from that from the government they're not getting grants so they're taking out these credit lines that of course as years go on a little bit he trained appear those loans they're doubling in answer seems you know we're seeing in the united states can believing with fifty thousand dollars step in a couple years later they have no idea how it happened and all the sudden it's over one hundred thousand dollars and the doing everything they can but having. no enough funds available through public funding for education has made it to that

higher education is not accessible to everyone and it is excessive offers for you know it's the freedom afterwards just doesn't exist for personal enslaved to this system and have in fact inaccessible and really it really quickly britney and kelly protests there they have turned violent they've had a bus on fire they're throwing part of ours they're very passionate about their cars and as shells and their demonstrations as kelly is form of protesting more in fact there and the protests we're seeing here in the u.s. . that's hard to say liz and i did the bit passionately seeing charlie isn't necessarily the passion that we see in the violence but it's so very clear in the balance and sort of passion and the tenacity of the students over the last five months to continue to keep the hundred thousand people to the street on almost a weekly basis it's going to show you that in big numbers it is reading i'm going to have to cut you off there thank you so much for your insight on that was a freelance multimedia multimedia journalist burning powerset well that does it for

an hour from our the stories we covered go to artsy dot com slash usa and check out our you have to pay gets you to dot com slash r t america you can also follow me on twitter at was all the way half hour. we'll. bring you the latest in science and technology from

a room russia. we've gone to the future of coverage of it all sometimes you see a story and it seems so for life you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear sees some other part of it and realize that everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture.