Al Jazeera: US protesters rally to #OccupyWallStreet
stream.aljazeera.comProtesters gather on Wall Street in New York for demonstration against what organisers call corporate dominance.Building on the momentum of the Arab Spring movements, protesters in the US are gathering in New York City’s financial district in a bid to show mass resistance against the dominance of the country’s financial system.
What started as an online campaign has translated into action on the ground, with protest organisers calling for thousands of people to “occupy Wall Street” on Saturday.
“On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months,” organisers wrote on the www.occupywallst.org website.
Protesters Begin To "Occupy" Wall Street - NY1.com
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Protesters entered Manhattan’s Financial District Saturday for a demonstration called “Occupy Wall Street,” which is intended to last for months and which is trying to curb the influence of big business over Washington lawmakers.
The counterculture magazine Adbusters and the hacking group Anonymous are among the organizers, and participants were asked to set up tents, kitchens and peaceful barricades.
“CEOs, the biggest corporations, and the wealthy are taking too much from our country and I think it’s time for us to take back,” said one protester.
“What I hope to accomplish is that people who have gotten in trouble on Wall Street actually pay an equal share for what they’ve done,” said another.
“The difference between this and other protests of the past is that we’re not leaving, and we’re going to stay as long as it takes to accomplish something,” said a third.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Friday that the protestors have a right to be heard, as long as they do not interfere with others’ rights.
