OWS protests ignite around the world, dozens arrested in NY
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China.org.cn, October 16, 2011
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A protestor holds a slogan board in front of the headquarters of European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, Oct. 15, 2011. More than one thousand demonstrators held the "Occupy Frankfurt" rally here on Saturday. [Xinhua/Ma Ning] |
"Occupy Wall Street (OWS)" protests , which initially targeted corporate greed, and their offshoots in a solidarity for global action on Saturday spread to cities in more than 80 countries around the world.
Thousands of "Occupy Wall Street" protesters marched to New York City's Times Square Saturday, leading to dozens of arrests.
Starting from 4 p.m. local time (8:00 GMT), at least 5,000 people marched to Times Square in midtown Manhattan from their outdoor headquarters in the financial district, banging drums and chanting, "We are sold out, banks are bailed out," and "End the war, tax the rich."
Among the protesters was a woman called Mary from New York City who told Xinhua that she had worked for 30 years but became jobless in 2000. Wielding a placard saying "No Job No Health Care No Future No American Dream," the woman said she was by no means lazy and had joined the demonstration because she could not afford her children's college education.
"I am glad OWS (Occupy Wall Street) protests are going global," Mary said, adding she was confident that the protests would bring about change.
At about 7:45 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. (11:45 to 11:50 GMT), clashes erupted as mounted police allegedly pushed a group of protesters who attempted to reach Times Square by crossing the 46th Street between the 6th and 7th Avenues. At least 42 people were arrested, police said.
More than 1,000 protesters set off Saturday noon from Zuccotti Park, a privately owned property just two blocks away from Wall Street in lower Manhattan, and marched to JP Morgan Chase bank buildings in the financial district.
The demonstration, carried out under tight police surveillance, went on peacefully for the most part, except at La Guardia Place, where police arrested 24 protesters who attempted to close their Citibank accounts there, a document posted on the movement's website said.
Some demonstrators also gathered in front of the New York Public Library to march for environmental issues, criticizing the Bank of America for having invested 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in the coal industry since 2009, which is harmful to the environment and climate.
On Saturday, peaceful demonstrators also took to streets in other cities worldwide, including Frankfurt, Athens, Oslo, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, and Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec in Canada, protesting against widening wealth disparity, corporate greed and its influence in politics.
In Rome, capital of Italy, the protests became violent as groups of protesters clashed with police during the global "Occupy Wall Street Day" demonstrations.
Over 70 people were injured in the clashes and 45 of them were hospitalized, including police officers and local residents. One of the injured lost two of his fingers in a small explosion.
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