'Occupy Wall Street' arrests – strategic attack

Echoes from the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests have reached the US capital as crowds march through downtown Washington DC. Activist Yotam Marom was arrested in downtown Manhattan and shared his views with RT.

On Wednesday police used pepper spray and batons to disperse tens of thousands of people walking from lower Manhattan to Wall Street."Occupy Wall Street" activist Yotam Marom took part in the mass rallies a week before the Brooklyn Bridge demonstrations. He told RT there was an interesting contrast in the way police responded to the first two demonstrations in America. “The first mass arrest was just an act of desperation. The police just did not know how to end the march as this happened for the first time. And the arrests that happened on the Brooklyn Bridge were quite different. That was a strategic attack to arrest an enormous amount of people and to scare away the community groups from coming to join the movement,” he explained.Marom also added the police really became heavy-handed with time.“I have been hit with a metal baton. I have friends who were pepper-sprayed and beaten with metal batons as well. I think it reflects a lot of fear and an incredibly stupid approach,” he stated.Despite getting bigger and gaining more support every day, "Occupy Wall Street" has been largely criticized for not having any definite demands. Marom, who is a proponent of demands, explained that generally they are necessary as they clarify the struggle. However, he believes it is not compulsory for “Occupy Wall Street" to come up with demands.“I don’t think this occupation has to come up with its own demands. It can be a foundation on top of which community and grassroots organizations and movements can fight. We have an enormous potential to really build a movement capable of both creating an alternative structure and fighting to create space for that structure,” he concluded.