NY police evict anti-Wall Street protesters
Hundreds of police dismantled the sea of tents, tarps, outdoor furniture, mattresses and protests signs at Zuccotti Park, arresting 147 people, including about a dozen who had chained themselves to each other and to trees.
As confused and angry protesters tried to work out how to regroup, sanitation workers labored through the night to clear away mounds of trash from the privately owned park where hundreds of people had camped.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the park owners, commercial real estate corporation Brookfield Office Properties , had decided that the protesters had become a health and fire safety hazard to themselves and the local community.
"Protesters have had two months to occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to occupy the space with the power of their arguments," Bloomberg said in a statement, adding that the situation had become intolerable.
The stench of urine and excrement had at times wafted across parts of the park, where flower beds had been trampled. Authorities and protesters said there had been reports of sexual assaults, thefts and drug dealing.
The Occupy Wall Street movement, which began when protesters set up camp in Zuccotti Park on September 17, inspired solidarity rallies and so-called occupations in public spaces across the United States and in cities elsewhere in the world.
In London, authorities said they were resuming legal action to try to shift anti-capitalism protesters who have set up camp at St Paul's Cathedral. Toronto officials also told protesters to leave on Tuesday.
The New York eviction followed similar actions in Atlanta, Portland and Salt Lake City. Unlike in Oakland, California, where police used tear gas and stun grenades, New York police said most protesters left peacefully.
The clearing of the park came before plans by protesters to try to shut down Wall Street on Thursday - home to the New York Stock Exchange - by holding a street carnival to mark the two-month anniversary of their campaign; Kazinform cites China Daily.
To learn more go to www.chinadaily.com.cn
