US police arrest 50 Occupy protesters
Over 50 Occupy Portland demonstrators have been arrested after hundreds of the protesters stood their ground when riot police tried to break up their encampment in Oregon City.
The move was part of a police initiative to close down the encampments, which have been set up for weeks, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The police crackdown came after Portland authorities issued an eviction notice. Some occupiers left following the notice, but many others stayed to defy police forces.
A police statement said, "The Portland Police Bureau has cleared both Chapman and Lownsdale Square parks. During today’s operation, more than 50 arrests were made of people who either wanted to be arrested or refused to leave Chapman Square."
Portland officials now say they plan to erect fences around the parks to close them to protesters.
The Occupy movement emerged after a group of demonstrators gathered in New York’s financial district on September 17 to protest against the unjust distribution of wealth in the country and the excessive influence of big corporations on US policies.
Despite the police crackdown and the mass arrests, the Occupy movement has now spread to many major US cities as well as to Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and other countries.
Source: presstv.ir
