Mass Arrests at Occupy Wall Street Protests

Several thousand demonstrators marched across New York's Brooklyn Bridge on a day of protest that has seen solidarity rallies across the US.  At least 300 people were arrested just in New York, many of them as trouble flared near the stock exchange. Occupy Wall Street activists started the day by marching through the city's financial district and later rallied at subway stations during rush hour.

Thursday's nationwide protests were seen as a test of Occupy Wall Street's momentum, as the grassroots movement against economic equality marked two months since it began. It was planned before demonstrators were swept two days ago from New York's Zuccotti Park, where they had camped since mid-September.

"Happy Birthday, Occupy Wall Street," sang protesters on the Brooklyn bridge. Celebrating two months since the movement began, they cheered and held candles.

It was a festive atmosphere as thousands of protesters streamed over the bridge, in contrast to the tense, confrontational mood earlier in the day. The demonstration was peaceful.  One woman held a sign saying the seat of government is broken, a damaged white chair in front of her. Teachers told me they were marching to protest against the privatisation of education. Students said they had huge debts and no prospect of jobs to pay them off.

The Verizon skyscraper by the bridge had "Happy Birthday OWS" projected on to it, and "We are the 99 percent". Cars crossing the bridge honked in support, and as the lights of Manhattan twinkled, the protesters cheered again. As darkness fell on Thursday evening, protesters - their numbers swelled by union activists - moved on to the Brooklyn Bridge. Police officers arrested at least two dozen who walked on to the bridge roadway, but otherwise let them pass.

Demonstrators massed earlier nearby in lower Manhattan's Foley Square, where their chants boomed off the surrounding government buildings.  Police tried to pen the protesters in with barricades and ordered marchers to stay off the roads. "This is a critical moment," demonstrator Paul Knick, a software engineer, told AP news agency.  "It seems like there's a concerted effort to stop the movement, and I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."

In rallies across the US on Thursday:

• In Los Angeles about about 500 marchers chanted anti-bank slogans; more than two dozen were arrested
• City officials in Dallas evicted a protesters' camp, detaining nearly 20 people
• Arrests were made in Portland, Oregon, as activists tried to "occupy" a city centre Wells Fargo bank branch
• Dozens more demonstrators were held by police in Las Vegas, Nevada and St Louis, Missouri
• Protesters shut the river bridge in Chicago, Illinois during rush hour, while activists in Seattle, Washington closed the University Bridge
• Rallies were held at bridges considered in disrepair in Miami, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; and Boston, Massachusetts, as activists called for infrastructure projects to create jobs
• There were smaller protests elsewhere, including in Denver, Colorado and Washington DC

NYPD said a police officer needed 20 stitches to his hand after he was hit by a piece of thrown glass.
And a man was arrested after several other officers had a liquid - possibly vinegar - thrown at them. Some demonstrators reportedly carry vinegar to treat against pepper spray.

Protesters in New York clashed with police on Thursday morning

 At least 177 people were arrested in New York, where the day's events began with hundreds of demonstrators gathering at the edge of the financial district. They were unable to get past junctions blocked by police, and as scuffles broke out some of them were dragged away by officers.

Some onlookers applauded the demonstrators from open windows, while others called out: "Get a job!" Among those held in New York was a retired Philadelphia police captain, Ray Lewis, who was taken into custody in his dress uniform, amid cheers.

Some people were arrested after they sat down at an intersection, while others were detained as they tried to get closer to the stock exchange. Trading was not disrupted. Frustrations boiled over in Zuccotti Park, the cradle of the nationwide movement, as hundreds of people tried to remove barricades surrounding the area and scuffled with baton-wielding officers.

A number of protester encampments have been removed in US cities in recent days.
Scores of arrests were made as police cleared tents in Oakland, California and Burlington, Vermont.
But evictions went peacefully elsewhere, including Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the protesters, worldwide, who are speaking their minds and standing by their convictions.