The following is a message sent from the National Gathering working group to our good friends at Occupons Montréal and Occupons Québec.

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

There comes a time in the course of human events when it becomes necessary for peoples, united by their desire for change, to stand up against corruption and demand a more just and equitable society. Over the few years it is becoming increasingly apparent that the time has come. From Tunisia to Egypt to Syria to Moscow to New York to Québec, the good people of our planet have started to wake up to the reality of the unfettered and unbalanced accumulation of wealth and power by the upper classes which has been built on the backs of the working and the poor.

Recently, those of us who are fighting in solidarity in the U.S. with the global people's movement have been encouraged, in no small measure, by the stories that have reached our ears of hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens and students who have decided to fight back against greed and corruption in Québec. We have heard tell of the clanging of pots and pans in the streets, walkouts, and the brave defiance of anti-protest ordinances. You are an inspiration to us all and we wish you to know that we stands in solidarity with CLASSE, Occupy Montréal, and the people's movement in Québec.

As you may know some of us here in the U.S. have formed a national working group dedicated to the idea of planning a National Gathering of the Occupy Movement. However, we do not wish to use the language of "national" as exclusionary. Quite the contrary, we wish to form a new kind of nation. One where we are not limited by arbitrary lines created and drawn by conquerors and politicians who seek to divide us. We envision a nation where all peoples from all backgrounds, paradigms, and convictions can come together in the spirit of solidarity to stand against world power. We envision a nation of The People.

In order to achieve these ends we are planning on occupying a space in Philadelphia, the supposed birthplace of freedom and democracy, from June 30 to July 4 to sit down at the table of sister and brotherhood so that we can begin to develop visions, goals, and strategies to create this better nation. During these five days we will be spending our time coordinating campaigns, sharing meals together, learning from each other, participating in direct actions together, and sharing a space free of traditional divisions and historical segregation. For five days we intend on modeling a better world.

Therefore, we, the National Gathering Working Group, would like to invite any and all of the activists taking part in the CLASSE struggle of Québec and the good people of Canada to join us for the Gathering. We invite you to come share your passion, your ideas, and your best practices. None of us live in a vacuum and if we are to be successful in implementing a new world we must be able to communicate and coordinate openly and with trust in the spirit of solidarity.

Many of us have pinned red squares on the lining of our hearts in solidarity with you but we wish to embrace you and learn from you face to face. We stand in solidarity with the people of Québec. If you are able to stand in solidarity with us in Philadelphia then we invite you to join us. And bring your pots and pans. Let us shake the foundations of the entire continent with a sound so loud and resounding that from Capitol Hill to Québec City those in power will know that the People have woken up and we will not be silent.

Join us. We love you.

In Solidarity, The National Gathering Working Group