Sunday 16 October 2011

Protesters arrested nationwide as Occupy Wall Street rallies rage on



From Susan Candiotti, CNN
October 16, 2011 -- Updated 0809 GMT (1609 HKT)


NEW YORK (CNN) -- Police hauled away protesters in various cities early Sunday as Occupy Wall Street rallies raged on for the 30th day.New York authorities arrested 14 people for violating a midnight curfew by sitting in a fountain with no water at Washington Square Park. The number was in addition to 70 arrested Saturday in citywide protests.
In Chicago, a police spokesman said there were "multiple" arrests early Sunday for disorderly conduct and violating an 11 p.m. curfew. And in Minneapolis, a woman was arrested for trespassing, CNN affiliate KARE reported. City police officials declined to comment 
About 150 people were camped out under a canopy near city hall after police took away their tents, a Minneapolis protest organizer said. "It's cold. We don't have any protection from the elements," said organizer April Lukes-Streich.
In New York, where the Occupy Wall Street movement started, authorities had warned protesters they would be arrested if they defied the curfew. Police stood guard at the entrance of Washington Square Park, sending protesters spilling out into nearby streets.They chanted anti-Wall Street slogans and banged drums as they wandered into the night. "It was a classic peaceful sit-in," said Paul Browne, the deputy police commissioner.
The arrests came hours after thousands marched to New York's iconic Times Square on Saturday night, hoisting signs and chanting.
As police cleared the street, protesters chanted, "We are peaceful" and "The whole world is watching."In another part of the city, another group of protesters made their voices heard. Banks got bailed out, we got sold out," chanted a crowd meandering east of the city's Zuccotti Park, considered a home base for the Manhattan protesters.
Columns of police on patrol and atop scooters monitored the march, but as dusk fell, it appeared largely peaceful.
In addition to the nationwide rallies, demonstrations have picked up steam, culminating in a global day of protests in Europe, Asia and Australia.
Occupy Wall Street movement started last month as a backlash against the economy and what demonstrators say is an out-of-touch corporate, financial and political elite.
Organizers say they are inspired by the Arab Spring that led to the toppling of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.The founding movement in the United States has spread to other major cities in the nation.

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