Riot cops assault Occupy protesters

Friday, Day 14 of Occupy Wall Street protest - camp in Zuccotti Park and the march against police brutality, walking to One Police Plaza, headquarters of the NYPD, photo David Shankbone (Click to enlarge)

Riot police in the USA attacked, arrested and evicted people from the anti-capitalist camps in New York, Portland and in Oakland, California.

The police claim that the clearances were forced by concerns over 'health and safety'. In reality, the protests were an increasing source of embarrassment and irritation to the fat cats - the very target of the peaceful protests.

The Occupy Wall Street encampment was established in September to protest against corporate greed, bank bailouts, widening wealth inequality, the pro-big business political parties and many other burning social issues.

The Wall Street tent protest imitated similar movements that had developed in Spain and Greece and which in turn had been inspired by the pro-democracy, anti-establishment movements in north Africa and the Middle East earlier this year.

Although the police action was not unexpected, it is bitterly ironic given Barack Obama's eventual wooing of the pro-democracy, anti-regime movements in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya - part of the so-called Arab Spring. Obama in October also expressed "sympathy" for opposition to inequality.

The organised US labour movement should rally in support of the evicted protesters and use its strength to help re-establish the camps by mass demonstrations and, where possible, strikes.

US socialist Emily McArthur spoke to a 1,000-strong audience at the Socialist Party's 'Socialism' event in London recently, where she brought greetings from the Occupy Boston protest (see video on www.socialistparty.org.uk).