Tough policing fails to deter New York’s 99%

The anti-Wall Street campaign that inspired global protests at the weekend is into its fifth week with more demonstrations planned. Despite a hardline police response, US activists say they will stay for as long as it takes to end economic injustice.

An unprecedented number of people marched to Times Square where they converged in solidarity with other Occupy actions taking place around the world. Once at their destination, protesters held a rally for several hours and pitched tents in the area.The march itself was peaceful. However once it arrived at Times Square, a contingent of protesters were trapped by police barricades and held for several hours, unable to move to the right or left, or get out. Police forced the crowds back, nearly trampling some protesters, while police scooters ran over several people. A total of 92 arrests were made in the course of the OWS actions in New York over the weekend. "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!" they chanted from within police barricades. A number of protesters sitting peacefully or turning out to speak on what they see as  economic injustice were taken by the police, slammed violently onto the ground, made to put their hands up, and driven away. RT’s Lucy Kafanov reports that at one point, as the RT crew was trying to film the scenes, explaining that they were press covering the events, they were pushed back by police officers who blinded their cameras with strobe lights – a move which Kafanov said was unprecedented.   Meanwhile, the rallies caused traffic chaos around Lower Manhattan as protesters filled the streets carrying placards reading “We are the 99 per cent” – a reference to the 99 per cent of ordinary people who struggle to make ends meet while the world’s richest one per cent control billions of dollars in assets.