Dozens of Occupy protesters arrested at Berkeley

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Dozens of Occupy protesters arrested at Berkeley

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Dozens of Occupy protesters were during demonstrations at University of California, Berkeley campus.

11 November,2011 04:38 am

Dozens of people were arrested during Occupy demonstrations at the University of California, Berkeley campus, as authorities twice clashed with protesters trying to set up encampments.The bulk of the arrests came Wednesday night, as authorities in riot gear confronted demonstrators.Television news footage from outside the universitys main administration building showed officers pulling people from the steps and nudging others with batons as the crowd chanted, We are the 99 percent and Stop Beating StudentsThirty-two people were arrested on suspicion of resisting and delaying police officers and failing to disperse, UC Berkeley police Lt. Alex Yao told the Daily Californian (http://bit.ly/sMxDeb).The officers eventually formed a perimeter around the steps of the building.As the evening wore on, the crowd swelled as protesters debated whether to stay overnight.The university reported earlier that an administrator had told the protesters they could stay around the clock for a week, but only if they didnt pitch tents or use stoves or other items that would suggest people were sleeping there.The protesters voted not to comply with the demand and to go ahead with setting up a tent site they dubbed Occupy Cal to protest financial policies they blame for causing deep cuts in higher education spending.