A rumor lit the internet aflame on Friday and it was this: Radiohead would be playing at the Occupy Wall Street protests in Lower Manhattan. How did this rumor circulate? Gawker put it out first, then the spokesman for OccupyWallst.org emailed everyone in the media and said "Radiohead will play a surprise show for #occupywallstreet today at four in the afternoon."
However, given that Radiohead's management responded (in all caps) that Radiohead would not be playing at the Occupy Wall Street, it seems that the rumor was just that. A rumor. No. It was a "hoax", according to organizers. (Who started it? And why? A question for another day).
Protesters that spoke with The Huffington Post had mixed reactions on whether the band performing would help their cause.
"It would bring a lot more people out," Matt, a protester who declined to give his last name, said. "But we're a well functioning group right now and it might bring people who don't know how we're operating. If it brought people who are interested in staying and joining the movement and not just seeing a cool band play, than I'm all for it."
Charlotte Souza who just joined the occupation on Friday, said she's frustrated that many people only seem interested in the celebrity supporters of the protest.
"I'm upset that people will only listen to the famous," Souza said. "But if they help us, I'm all for it."
An occupier who goes by the name Anarchos said he hoped that Radiohead would play, noting that it might add to the movement's legitimacy.
"Any exposure is good exposure, as long as it's not riots or brutality," he said. "If people come uninterested in the protest they might leave interested."
The New York Daily News spoke to a protester who said many people at Zuccotti Park were just there to see the British rock band.
"I don't care if they play here or not," the protester told the News. "I actually think it's kind of ridiculous. The only reason 500 people are here is because they think Radiohead is going to be here."
Protestor Brendan Burke said the larger number of people at the occupation on Friday had little to do with the Radiohead rumor.
"We aren't going anywhere," Burke said. "People are seeing that and becoming encouraged."
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