Exmouth , England ( CNN ) -- `` We are the 99 percent . '' This is the one belief all protesters in New York 's Zuccotti Park have in common , according to OccupyWallSt.org . Although they claim to be using Arab Spring tactics , they are actually continuing a practice that emerged in Great Britain and the United States near the end of the 18th century , quickly spread to other countries and is now a truly transnational phenomenon . For centuries , the street had been the stage for the 1 % of society instead . Members of the civic , religious and military elite used public spaces to present themselves and underline their claim of authority and status in elaborate and carefully choreographed processions . Nowadays , the street has primarily become the forum for those who feel excluded from the halls of power , or not properly represented by the existing political institutions . Mass street protest has acquired a degree of political legitimacy that is astonishing , considering that well into the 20th century , the sight of ordinary people acting collectively in public on behalf of their own interest was widely regarded as a prelude to social unrest or even revolution . The French writer Gustave Le Bon gave this widely held view pseudo-scientific credibility in his 1895 book `` The Crowd , '' which described the latter as a dangerous and primitive entity which was highly susceptible to manipulation by demagogues . The perception of collective street protest as a public order problem persisted well into the 20th century and only started to change with the arrival of the middle-class based `` New Social Movements '' after the Second World War . Until then , even democratic governments frequently felt at license to act with overwhelming force and sometimes great brutality against protesters . The American Civil Rights Movement skillfully exploited this to its advantage in the 1960s , and new doctrines of restrained policing were developed in several countries to deny protesters the status of martyrs . Police crackdowns on orderly protests became rare , although the WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999 marked a shift back to a stronger emphasis on public order , at least in the United States . The events around the blockade of Brooklyn Bridge on October 1st show the dangers of this approach . Although the police framed their actions as a measure to keep the traffic flowing -- an argument that authorities around the world have used since the late 19th century to regulate protest marches -- and did not arrest those who walked on the sidewalks , the detention of more than 700 people appeared heavy-handed . The incident , together with a police officer using pepper spray against female protesters , turned the largely ignored campaign into a media story . Gaining exposure and media coverage is an important aim of all street protest . It not only provides opportunities to present political demands but also to showcase the movement behind the protest . Already the Labour Movement , whose 19th century demonstrations provided the template for all subsequent demonstrations , used them to present the public with an image of the working class in action . The choreography of the march with its orderly columns , the way the marchers dressed and the banners they carried with them represented the Labour Movement 's intention as well as ability to create an alternative order of society . The route of the column usually led them through the territory of their opponents or to the centers of political power , thereby laying claim to both of them . Subsequent movements such as the suffragettes or the unemployed often followed the same pattern . The protesters in New York continue this tradition . By having a leaderless structure and holding general assemblies every day , they further underline their opposition to the hierarchical undemocratic world of Wall Street and publicly perform the alternative model of society they are propagating . Occupying Zuccotti Park and referring to it by its former name , Liberty Plaza Park , makes the same point . At least as important as the chance to gain access to the media is the effect such protests have on supporters and sympathizers . Collective action and confrontations with the police foster the internal cohesion of movements . Small successes , such as circumventing the ban on megaphones by collectively repeating the words of each public speaker , provide a sense of empowerment and create a positive public image . Support from celebrities or academics such as Joseph Stiglitz give further encouragement . Taken together , such successes can have a mobilizing effect as the start of demonstrations and occupations in other U.S. cities shows . In the light of the relatively small number of people involved and the apparent scarcity of resources the movement controls , these are considerable achievements . Unlike the protest in Tahrir Square in Cairo , the protest in New York will not start a revolution . But it has started a public debate and forced the media in the United States and abroad to report on the event . Because of that , whether the protesters will eventually be able to occupy Wall Street is of no real significance . The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Matthias Reiss .
Matthias Reiss : Occupy Wall Streeters say they are the 99 % , as opposed to the wealthy . Reiss : Protest is part of movement started in 18th century to keep streets away from elites . Harsh police are softened as Civil Rights Movement made martyrs of victims , he says . He says movement has intensified , started a public debate and allowed media to report on it .