'Occupy' protesters clash with NY traders: Police

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'Occupy' protesters clash with NY traders: Police

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Occupy Wall Street activists clashed with workers and police outside the New York Stock Exchange.

18 November,2011 05:00 am

Occupy Wall Street activists clashed Thursday with workers and police outside the New York Stock Exchange on the two-month anniversary of the movements vocal anti-capitalist campaign.As hundreds linked hands to block access to the NYSE building, one man in a blue business suit wrestled with a protester in a cowboy hat, one of several violent scuffles.More than 50 people were arrested, an AFP correspondent saw, but New York police would only say there had been many arrests.Chanting Wall Streets closed We are the 99 percent and Whose street? Our street about 1,000 demonstrators engaged in a tense face-off with hundreds of police, including many on horseback outside the iconic exchange.The protests were part of a Global Day of Action announced by the website occupywallst.org, with demonstrations across the United States combined with protests in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Poland and Spain.In New York, protesters vowed to avenge their eviction by marching on the stock exchange, then rallying on the citys subway and major bridges.While the stock market opened on time at 9:30 am (1430 GMT), protesters managed a 45-minute blockade outside the NYSE.Police eventually intervened to break through, establishing a corridor to escort traders and workers.Amid chaotic scenes, police then moved in to clear the street, and ensuing clashes sent police and protesters clattering to the ground. One man was repeatedly clubbed with a police baton, while several protesters were handcuffed and dragged into police trucks.Several groups split up and moved in different directions, deploying to different choke points around the city, blocking the area until police could move in and clear it.Up to 2,000 people re-grouped in Zuccotti Park in a high-energy atmosphere, drumming and clapping, while police encircled the area.We need to show we are bigger than Zuccotti Park, that we are resilient, that we refuse to submit to brutal police tactics, said Jessica Lingel, 28, a librarian from New Jersey.