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| New York police cracks down on Wall Street protests |
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The police arrested at least 80 protesters on Saturday. The demonstrators took to the streets during the “Occupy Wall Street” protest and gathered near the New York Stock Exchange, Reuters reported. The demonstrations, which began about a week ago, have brought thousands of U.S. citizens to the most important U.S. financial district, protesting against a number of economic issues, including bank bailouts, home loan crisis, and the widening gap between the rich and poor in the aftermath of the U.S. financial crisis. The demonstrations, participants said, were meant to criticize a financial system that they believed unfairly benefits corporations and the rich. They said the protests were inspired by demonstrations in Egypt and Spain. The marchers carried signs spelling out their goals. “Tax the rich,” one sign said. “We Want Money for Healthcare not Corporate Welfare,” read another. The protesters were arrested during the largely peaceful march that lasted more than three hours and wound its way north from the financial district into the bustling Union Square area. The demonstrators were mostly college-aged marchers carrying American flags and signs with anti-corporate slogans. Some beat drums, blew horns and chanted slogans as uniformed officers surrounded and videotaped them. “Occupy Wall Street,” they chanted, “all day, all week.” Organizers said their intent was to occupy Wall Street but, with metal barricades and swarms of police officers in front of the New York Stock Exchange, the closest they could get was Liberty Street, about three blocks away. The first arrest came shortly after noon near the stock exchange. Several blocks away, another protester, who identified himself as Robert Stephens, was arrested after kneeling in the middle of the street outside the Chase Bank building. “That's the bank that took my mother's home,” said Stephens, a law student, before being handcuffed. An online activist group called Adbusters organized the weeklong event and word spread via social media, yet the throngs of protesters it had hoped for failed to show up. “I was kind of disappointed with the turnout,” said Itamar Lilienthal, 19, a New York University student and marcher. The protest appeared smaller than a “Day of Rage” a week ago that turned out to be largely peaceful.
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| Last Updated on 25 September 2011 17:31 | |||
