The U.S. police have arrested over 5,800 anti-Wall Street protesters since the beginning of the anti-corporatism movement in September last year. 

According to the website occupy-arrests.com, at least 5,748 occupy protesters were arrested till December 31, 2011. Another 68 demonstrators were detained in New York City's Zuccotti Park on Saturday night. 

The Saturday arrests were made as protesters staged a New Year's Eve demonstration in the city. 

Meanwhile, footage has emerged showing anti-Wall Street protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina, burning two U.S. flags. Four protesters were arrested after the burning of the flags on Friday afternoon. 

In December last year, Occupy Des Moines took over President Barack Obama's election campaign headquarters and refused to leave. The protesters were demanding the U.S. president veto the National Defense Authorization Act, which gives authorities the power to detain terror suspects without trial.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch has also criticized the measure and lashed out at Obama for supporting it.

Commenting on the bill, U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has accused Obama of pushing for institutionalization of martial law in the country, thus jeopardizing the freedoms of U.S. citizens.

Over the past few weeks, police have broken up Occupy encampments in cities and towns across the U.S., harshly attacking and arresting dozens of protesters.

The Occupy Wall Street movement began when a group of demonstrators gathered in New York's financial district on September 17 to protest against the unjust distribution of wealth in the country and the excessive influence of big corporations on U.S. policies.

Despite the police crackdown and the mass arrests, the Occupy movement has now spread to many major U.S. cities.

(Source: Press TV)