Edinburgh City councillors have voted to back the Occupy Edinburgh movement, which has been located in St Andrew Square since mid-October.

All of the council’s elected members excepting the Conservative group got behind an amended motion put forward by Green councillors, which called for the recognition and endorsement of Occupy movements worldwide.

The original motion, worded by Green councillor Maggie Chapman, went further by requesting that the council: “Supports the participants of the St Andrew Square occupation in demanding that these values be recognised and acted upon by all governmental bodies in the UK, and worldwide;

“Commits to return our democracy to the people, and to work together immediately to create a new, sustainable and equitable Scotland.”

A watered-down version was eventually agreed at the full council meeting after representations from Occupy Edinburgh members.

Commenting on the decision, Kim Grant, an Occupy Edinburgh participant, said: “I’m incredibly excited and ecstatic, it’s a step in the right direction and I think it’s a landmark for the Occupy movement because I think this is the first time it’s been done.

“It’s conversation, and that’s where the power lies, and it’s happening already. For people who might question our success, I think this is an interesting thing we can feed back to them. We’ll set the foundations for dramatic change and hopefully all this support will encourage the public to come down and see what we’re all about.”

During their debate, councillors approached issues surrounding the St Andrew Square encampment, including public safety and police attendance. They also discussed Occupy’s broader aims with regard to the gap between rich and poor.

At the meeting, Councillor Chapman entreated her colleagues to pass the motion, saying: “For the sake of consensus I urge you all to vote for the motion, as amended.”

And adding: “"This is not about saying Edinburgh is closed to business it's about representing the interests of the people."

But while the amended motion recognises Occupy Edinburgh’s aims, it also states that representative electoral politics is a more effective form of democracy than protest politics.

During the meeting, council leader Jenny Dawe echoed this sentiment: “We do have a disgusting gap between rich and poor in our society and banking does need to be reformed.

“But I think there are more effective ways of campaigning for change than camping outside."

Edward Coulson, who has been part of Occupy Edinburgh since its inception, said this aspect of the motion was slightly less favourable to the protestors.

He said: “There are some things we don’t like very much; there’s a claim in the amendment that representative electoral politics is a more effective form of democracy than protest politics and this is a wording that we don’t absolutely agree with.

“But what we’re happy about is that we have support for Occupy Edinburgh and support for the movement worldwide and recognition of the aims, which is a huge thing. So we’re really pleased that so many of the councillors could get behind that.”

Campers set up in St Andrew Square on October 14 as part of the global Occupy movement, a protest against economic and social inequality established in Kuala Lumpur in July and followed by New York, San Francisco and various other cities worldwide.

Last week they agreed with land managers Essential Edinburgh to move their tents to the edges of the park to make way for Christmas celebrations, which kick off tonight (Thursday).

Commenting on the decision, Green Councillor Alison Johnstone said: "I'm very pleased that this issue was debated and supported in the council chamber of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. I think we shoud welcome any involvement that citizens have with the democratic process, whether they are applauding it, or recommending that it could be improved.

"I think there is a huge dissatisfaction with the way that some political parties and big business have been happy to see gains privatised and I think people are now just sick and tired of seeing losses socialised. We're all bearing the brunt of the mistakes that were made, and there doesn't seem to be any solution or any attempt to make sure this doesn't happen again.

"We're in a desperate rush to get back to the same old model with no new ideas. I think these people are just calling us to take a better, wider look at things."

During the meeting Labour Councillor Gordon Munro spoke passionately in favour of the Occupy Edinburgh group, backing one of the causes championed by the movement - a Robin Hood Tax.

Speaking after the debate he said: "I think the Occupy voice has not been heard within the city chambers, and I think it's up to us as elected politicians to provide a vehicle for them to come in and say who we are and what we're about so that they can counter the deliberately misconcieved perceptions that are put through the received media for this group."

Read the council report and original motion here.

Read the final motion as passed by the City of Edinbugh Council

IN DETAIL

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Additional reporting by Alastair Tibbitt