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Showing posts with label demonstrators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label demonstrators. Show all posts

Friday, September 14, 2012

Map of Muslim Protests Around the Globe. Current Travel Warnings Also Around the Globe.

A Map of Muslim Protests Around the World

JOHN HUDSON10:11 AM ET
If you can't keep track of all the Muslim protests erupting across the globe, you're not alone. The uproar over a 14-minute anti-Islam YouTube video has sparked furious protests from Somalia to Egypt to Sudan to Tunisia to Libya to Bangladesh to Indonesia to Pakistan. With new reports of protests surfacing every minute, we've compiled the latest reported incidents into this handy interactive Google Map. Click the locations and embedded links for more details about each incident.

View Muslim Protests in a larger map
Jerusalem
"Hundreds hurl stones at officers in Jerusalem after Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque while protesters rallied against anti-Islam film," reports Ynet News.
Bangladesh
"About 1,000 Bangladeshi Islamists tried to march on the U.S. embassy in Dhaka on Thursday to protest against a U.S. film that is said to insult the Prophet Mohammad but security forces stopped them r...
Sanaa, Yemen
"In Sanaa, Yemen, the U.S. Embassy was overrun Thursday by protesters who stormed a wall, set fire to a building inside the compound, broke windows and carried away office supplies and other souvenirs...
Cairo, Egypt
"In Cairo, clouds of tear gas floated through the fortified area around the U.S. Embassy as security forces clashed with protesters for the third straight day," reports The Washington Post.
Tripoli, Libya
"The US dispatched an elite group of Marines to Tripoli on Wednesday after the mob attack that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans," reports the AP. "Officials were investigating whethe...
Gaza Strip
"Palestinians on Friday protested an anti-Muslim film, with thousands gathering in the Gaza Strip and hundreds in Jerusalem where there were clashes with Israeli police," reports Now Lebanon.
Jakarta, Indonesia
"In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, about 200 protesters in Jakarta chanted slogans and held up signs in a largely peaceful protest outside the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy," repor...
Khartoum, Sudan
"Britain's Foreign Office says police in Sudan are confronting a protest outside the British embassy in Khartoum," reports the AP.  Additionally, Reuters reports "Protesters pull down emblem at German...
Kashmir
"Thousands of angry Kashmiri Muslims protested Friday against an anti-Islam film, burning U.S. flags and calling President Barack Obama a 'terrorist,' while the top government cleric here reportedly d...
Tripoli, Lebanon
"Hundreds of protesters set alight a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday, witnesses said, chanting against the pope's visit to Lebanon and shouting ant...
Benghazi, Libya
"Ansar al Sharia supporters protesting in front of Tibesty Hotel in Benghazi carrying black flags," reports Al Jazeera via Twitter. "Maximum 50 pple."
Tehran, Iran
"In Tehran, students gathered Thursday outside the Swiss Embassy, which represents U.S. interests in Iran, to protest the video," The Wall Street Journal reports. "No violence was reported."
Baghdad, Iraq
"In Iraq, reaction to the video clip has been limited to followers of Shiite groups linked to militias and neighboring Iran," reports The Wall Street Journal. "Several hundred followers of anti-Americ...
Islamabad, Pakistan
"The protesters in Islamabad said that the film should be banned across the world and the filmmakers should be severely punished," reports Pakistan's The Express Tribune. "They also demanded that the ...
Karachi, Pakistan
"JI Chief Munawar Hassan, addressing a protest rally in the Nazimabad area of Karachi, demanded that the US government ban the movie and also demanded the Interior ministry of Pakistan lodge a protest...
Lahore, Pakistan
"The rally in Lahore was organised by Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool which was taken out from Green Chowk to Sohrab Khan, while the one in Multan was organised by Jamiat Talba Arbia and Shehri Mahaz. Prote...
Jalalabad, Afghanistan
"Hundreds of Afghans – some shouting 'Death to America' – have held a protest against an anti-Islam film in the eastern city of Jalalabad," reports the AP.
Mogadishu, Somalia
"Thousands of Somali protesters have taken to the streets of capital Mogadishu to express their anger over the anti-Islam movie produced by an Israeli-American in the United States," reports Iran's Pr...
Tunisia
Protesters in Tunisia have set fire to an American school in the capital Tunis, according to Reuters. The New York Post reports that "Anti-American rioting spread yesterday to Tunisia, where police us...
Algeria
"In Algeria, the U.S. Embassy cautioned Americans to avoid its building and other official government buildings Wednesday afternoon, sending an emergency message to U.S. citizens after calls for prote...
London, UK
"About 200 protesters are burning USA and Israeli flags outside the US embassy in London," Al Jazeera reports.
Kuwait City, Kuwait
"About 500 demonstrators gathered yesterday near the US embassy in Kuwait waving a black Al-Qaeda flag in protest of a film mocking Islam," reports AFP. "President Barack 'Obama, we are all Osama,' th...
Kuwait City, Kuwait
"About 500 demonstrators gathered yesterday near the US embassy in Kuwait waving a black Al-Qaeda flag in protest of a film mocking Islam," reports AFP. "President Barack 'Obama, we are all Osama,' th...
Chennai, India
"Protesters in southern India have been arrested for throwing rocks at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, the city police commissioner said," reports CNN. "As many as 200 protesters were demonstrating in ...
Amsterdam
"The American consulate on the Museumplein in Amsterdam is to close earlier than usual on Friday because of a planned demonstration by Muslims in the late afternoon," reports DutchNews.nl. "Two school...
Maldives
Protests emerged in the Maldives, according to the BBC, but there are few details on the size of the demonstration.
Sri Lanka
Protests have erupted in eastern Sri Lanka, according to the BBC, but details are thin on the size of the demonstration.
Doha, Qatar
"Hundreds of worshippers marched near the US embassy in Qatar on Friday over the anti-Islam video," reports Al Jazeera. "The protest had been reportedly called for by Doha-based Egyptian  Sheikh Yusuf...
Jos, Nigeria
"Nigerian troops fired live rounds on Friday to disperse Muslims protesting in the volatile central city of Jos against an American film about the Prophet Mohammad that has triggered unrest in several...
Sheikh Zuwayed
"Protesters belonging to ultraconservative groups in Sinai have stormed a camp for the UN multinational peacekeepers in the town of Sheikh Zuwayed," reports Al Jazeera. "They brought down the flag and...
Sale, Morocco
"Hundreds of Salafists burned US flags in Morocco after Friday prayers at a mosque in a poor neighbourhood of Sale, twin town to the Moroccan capital Rabat," reports Al Jazeera. "Around 200 of the har...
Casablanca, Morocco
"Between 300 and 400 Muslim activists had gathered outside the US consulate in Morocco's largest city Casablanca on Wednesday, amid a heavy police presence, protesting against the film and shouting an...
Damascus, Syria
"Sana, Syria's state news agency, said hundreds of pro-government supporters protested outside the US embassy in Damascus today," reports The Guardian. "Protesters held images of beleaguered president...
source: www.theatlanticwire.com


Current Travel Warnings

Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff. The countries listed below meet those criteria.
Algeria    09/13/2012
Libya    09/12/2012
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of    09/11/2012
Republic of South Sudan   09/10/2012
Guinea    09/07/2012
Sudan    09/07/2012
Mali    08/29/2012
Syria    08/28/2012
Pakistan    08/27/2012
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza    08/10/2012
Iraq    08/09/2012
Congo, Democratic Republic of the    08/02/2012
Central African Republic    07/11/2012
Kenya    07/05/2012
Afghanistan    06/27/2012
Nigeria    06/21/2012
Haiti    06/18/2012
Somalia    06/15/2012
Philippines    06/14/2012
Mauritania    05/24/2012
Saudi Arabia   05/18/2012
Lebanon    05/08/2012
Iran    04/27/2012
Cote d'Ivoire   04/23/2012
Burundi    04/18/2012
Eritrea    04/18/2012
Mali    04/09/2012
Niger    04/06/2012
Chad    03/29/2012
Yemen   03/27/2012
Colombia    02/21/2012
Mexico    02/08/2012
source: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html 

U.S. warns of rising threat of violence amid outrage over anti-Islam video

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 12:50 AM EDT, Fri September 14, 2012
Yemeni protesters burn a U.S. flag on a street leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday, September 14.
Yemeni protesters burn a U.S. flag on a street leading to the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa on Friday, September 14.
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(CNN) -- After days of protests and related violence, concerns are growing that furor over an anti-Islam video could intensify even more Friday -- threatening U.S. interests abroad and at home.

People have taken to the streets in 10 nations and the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir, according to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, railing against "Innocence of Muslims" and the nation where it was produced, the United States. This outrage, and danger to Americans, could worsen in the coming days, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI warned Thursday in a joint intelligence bulletin.

"The risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention," the U.S. agencies said. "Additionally, we judge that violent extremist groups in the United States could exploit anger over the film to advance their recruitment efforts."


Worries about Friday, in particular, stem from the fact Muslims hold weekly prayers that day -- and may congregate afterward and march on U.S. diplomatic missions.

"We are in a full-court press at every single one of the posts in the Middle East and anywhere else there is any chance of demonstrations after Friday services to make sure nothing bad happens. And to have the security in place in case bad things do happen," one senior U.S. official said.

The ongoing unrest centers on an obscure 14-minute film trailer that mocks Islam's prophet.

Posted in July on YouTube, it got more notice recently after Egyptian television aired segments and anti-Islam activists promoted it online. Numerous questions surround the film, which includes cartoonish scenes of Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and ruthless killer.

According to a FBI/Homeland Security joint statement, the film's producer identified himself to news media as an Israeli -- an assertion Israel's government denies -- and falsely claimed the movie was financed with help from more than 100 Jewish donors.

While he'd been identified in July 2011 by various names, including Sam Bassiel, federal officials now say they believe the filmmaker's name is Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. He was convicted in 2009 of bank fraud, with the indictment from the U.S. Attorney's Office listing seven aliases.

A production staffer said he believed the filmmaker was a Coptic Christian who also went by the name Abenob Nakoula Bassely.

On Tuesday, the same day people protesting the film stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi was attacked -- leading to the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department computer expert Sean Smith, and security officers Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former Navy SEAL commandos.

In addition to stressing there's no excuse for violence targeting U.S. diplomatic missions, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called the video "disgusting and reprehensible" and said it appears to aim "to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage."

Still, condemnations of the film and calls by leaders of largely Muslim countries not to assault U.S. diplomatic missions haven't stopped throngs from demonstrating, at times violently.



Protests enter 4th day as anger toward U.S. spreads through Muslim world

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

I Have One Thing To Tell May Day Demonstrators. GET A JOB AND/OR DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE.

Okay, all of the crazies without a job are out in force in all of the major cities across the country.  All I have to say to them is GET A JOB, or at the very least, DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE NOT DESTRUCTIVE!  Here are a few articles and videos compiled on the subject...


May Day demonstrations disrupt downtown Seattle

May Day demonstrators who marched through Seattle turned violent Tuesday, with black-clad protesters using sticks and bats to smash downtown stores and automobile windows.
May Day demonstrators who marched through Seattle turned violent Tuesday, with black-clad protesters using sticks and bats to smash downtown stores and automobile windows.
At the federal appeals court building, glass doors near an entrance were shattered with rocks. Protesters then threw or shot a smoke bomb toward the lobby, but the device hit the one door that didn't break and started a small blaze that quickly burned itself out.
The entrance to the Niketown store was completely smashed in, with chunks of broken glass littering the sidewalk. Vandals splattered paint across the store and a neighboring business. Police on bicycles moved in and dispersed people, and the entrances were soon closed off with police tape.
While much smaller in scale, the mayhem was reminiscent of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle that caused widespread damage to stores and forced the cancellation of some WTO events.
Charlone Mayfield, a retired medical industry worker from Seattle, was inside a Verizon cellphone store when she saw the crowd approach. One of the protesters broke off from the group and struck the window as she watched.
"It scared the bejesus out of me," Mayfield said. "He started hitting the window with his baseball bat...I was here when WTO happened, this is really scary."
READ MORE AT: SEATTLE TIMES


Did May Day Save Occupy Wall Street?


Thousands marched through Manhattan with OWS to celebrate May Day. Union marchers and arrests made headlines, but will the movement be able to capitalize on its momentum? Matt DeLuca reports.


deluca-may-day-wrap-embed

Occupy Wall Street was back in force Tuesday in Manhattan, but questions remain as to what’s next for the protest movement. In a series of demonstrations planned across the city, supporters of Occupy joined with labor unions and immigration-rights activists to mount marches and pickets, culminating in a procession down Broadway to the Financial District that drew massive crowds.
The call to a day of action on May 1, recognized internationally as a day to celebrate labor, was also heard outside New York. Protesters took to the streets in Chicago and San Francisco, and abroad in London, Sydney, Barcelona, and other cities. Some of those protests turned violent. In Oakland, Calif., protesters clashed with law enforcement, and tear gas was used to disperse crowds. A few dozen black-clad protesters in Seattle raced through the city’s downtown and smashed shop windows.
The marches in New York went off with few incidents. They started slowly, with the main body of protesters gathering in the morning at Bryant Park in midtown. From there, groups of one or two hundred went to picket locations, including Bank of America. 
Protesters said that they hoped May Day would be a moment of resurgence for Occupy Wall Street, which has mostly flown below the radar after its eviction from Zuccotti Park last November.
Cashwan Pratt, an 18-year-old Upper West Side resident, said he wanted “to see the shift from worried and privileged college students to workers who see they have a voice.” Pratt was one of about 30 protesters on bicycles who gathered at about 9 a.m. at Union Square, and then rode to protests around the city.

READ MORE HERE: DAILY BEAST

May Day protests: Demonstrators calm after clash with police

Police and protesters


Hundreds of Occupy marchers peacefully convened Tuesday evening in Pershing Square, an hour after the May Day protest in downtown Los Angeles took a tense turn. The mood was jovial as about 200 protesters listened to live music and watched performers. Earlier, police clashed with protesters at 4th and Hill streets, causing officers clad in riot gear to swarm the area.


 A police official said a female officer was struck in the head with a skateboard and taken to a hospital. The impact of the blow dented her helmet, the official said, but her injury appeared not to be life-threatening. PHOTOS: May Day protest Angry protesters chanted with their fists in the air after officers refused to let them through a street that leads to the Civic Center.


Almost 1,000 protesters marched uphill through the Financial District, looped through Bank of America Plaza and were trying to push their way back downhill when officers turned them away. Officers issued a call for help at 4th and Hill about 4:20 p.m. when protesters, many from the Occupy movement, began circling officers and chanting, "We are the 99%." The crowd swelled as officers arrived by bicycle, motorcycle and on foot to quell the brewing confrontation. The crowd quickly calmed down, and officials said most of the thousands of protesters throughout downtown were nonviolent.


READ MORE AT: LA TIMES



Activists join May Day protests across US, stinging gas in Oakland sends demonstrators fleeing



OAKLAND, Calif. — Thousands of protesters in New York demanded an end to income inequality and housing foreclosures. Police fired tear gas to disperse marchers in Oakland, Calif. And black-clad demonstrators smashed windows in Seattle and occupied a building owned by the Catholic archdiocese in San Francisco.

(seattlepi.com, Joshua Trujillo/ Associated Press ) - Seattle Police officers arrest a man that threw a glass jar and hit an officer in his face shield during a May Day rally on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in downtown Seattle. The rally turned violent when black-clad protesters smashed windows and threw objects at police.


Activists across the U.S. joined in worldwide May Day protests Tuesday, with anti-Wall Street demonstrators leading the way in some cities as they tried to recapture the enthusiasm that propelled their movement last fall.
READ MORE AT: WASHINGTON POST

Demonstrators reclaim former mental clinic as 'the commune'




May 1, 2012 at 6:32 pm

Metro Detroit demonstrators make noise with May Day protests



Detroit— A couple hundred protesters marched Tuesday afternoon through Detroit, clamoring for reform for immigration, education and other issues as part of a May Day celebration.

The group of about 250 people walked from Clark Park to Maybury Elementary School, one of two public schools in southwest Detroit in danger of closing.

Protesters also walked past Western International High School, shouting, "Save our schools," and, "Education not deportation." Last week, the school suspended some students who walked out of class in protest of school conditions there.
"We have to be the change we want to see in this city," said 15-year-old Katinah Milligan, a ninth grader at Detroit School of Arts.

The group also walked through Mexicantown to the abandoned Michigan Central Station. The final destination is Grand Circus Park, where protesters planned to camp out Tuesday night.

Among the protesters are members of Occupy Detroit and the United Auto Workers.

Retired Ford worker Ron Lare, 64, of Detroit said it's important for generations to rally together to protect workers' rights and wages.

"Retirees have seen a steady decline in co-pays, but I think it's the next generation that's really getting hit," said Lare, a member of UAW Local 600.


From The Detroit News: CLICK HERE






WSWS speaks to May Day demonstrators in France

By our reporters 
2 May 2012
Supporters of the International Committee of the Fourth International and theWorld Socialist Web Site intervened in the Paris May Day march yesterday, distributing thousands of leaflets of “Political issues in the French presidential election.” The Paris march was largely under the control of union officials and PS supporters, with relatively little spontaneous participation by workers.
The event reflected both the impact of the propaganda by petty-bourgeois “left” forces in favor of Socialist Party (PS) candidate François Hollande, and popular distrust of Hollande, even among his voter base, due to his pro-business statements. Should Hollande be elected, he will turn against the working class and inevitably disappoint the expectations for social policies aroused among his voters by the petty-bourgeois “left” parties.
Merlin
Merlin, a 31-year-old unemployed worker from Paris, commented: “A lot of people work for companies and are suffering to try to make ends meet. The people I know get by through helping each other out. I voted left, but not for the Socialist Party—Hollande is insipid and close to the money people, the ‘caviar left’. Between the left [i.e., the PS] and the right I see no difference—I will vote Hollande so that Sarkozy is ousted.”
Merlin said that Hollande “doesn’t represent the interests of workers,” though he thought that Hollande might “understand” conditions facing the youth. Nonetheless, he said that he would feel “relieved” if incumbent conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy were defeated.
Audiovisual worker Mathieu, 21, lives in Paris and is working with theindignados, last year’s “indignant” protesters in Spain. He said, “Hollande has not made many promises but he will respect them. He won’t break up social security.”
Nonetheless, Mathieu recognized that Hollande “will do the work of international finance”. The solution to the crisis, he said, was “to reinvent politics like the indignados”.
READ MORE: WSWS

Demonstrators march for International Workers Day

Posted at: 05/01/2012 10:26 PM 
By: Marissa Torres, KOB Eyewitness NEWS 

Hundreds of May Day demonstrators hit the streets in Albuquerque Tuesday. Marchers said they are speaking up for workers' rights, higher wages and more jobs.
May 1 marks International Workers Day. It actually started more than a hundred years ago in Chicago as workerse fought for eight-hour work days. And even today, it has the same powerful resonance.
"I think it's probably more important in 2012 that its been in many years because of this huge divide between the rich and the poor in our country," said demonstrator Seamus O'Sullivan.
The crowd was not just labor union activists. There was a resurgence of Occupy Albuquerque and people from throughout the city who said they just want to make a difference.
"It's kind of a time for me to publicly reestablish my priorities and what I would like out of an American system of government," O'Sullivan said.
Demonstrators said more people need to get vocal and more involved in the effort to get recognition for the workers they say made America the wealthy country it is today.
READ MORE: KOB

On May Day, Europeans Vent Over Austerity

Spain Sees Mass Protests, as Ralliers in France, Greece Show Pre-Election Anger

[rallies0501]Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Demonstrators join a protest against the economic policies of the Spanish government during May Day in Madrid.
Demonstrators turned out in large numbers for May Day rallies in hard-hit European countries on Tuesday, protesting their governments' push for austerity and flexing populist muscle ahead of key Greek and French elections.
Protesters used this year's labor-day celebration, which came amid new signs of economic contraction across much of Europe, as a platform against a German-led view that spending cuts and tax increases are the best medicine for the region's sovereign-debt woes.
Reuters
Protesters sing 'The Internationale' at a labor-day rally in Madrid on Tuesday, where demonstrators criticized Prime Minister Rajoy's cuts.
The rallies come on the eve of national elections scheduled for Sunday in France and Greece, both of which are expected to pose stiff challenges to leaders who have carried out Europe's austerity prescription.
Marchers in Paris held up signs reading "Down With Merkozy," referring to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who steered the currency area through the sovereign-debt crisis. Mr. Sarkozy's Socialist rival, François Hollande, has the lead heading into the runoff election.
READ MORE HERE: WSJ

Flashpoints on Occupy May Day


By Pueng Vongs | The Lookout – 17 hrs ago
The Occupy movement targeted May Day as the day "the people of the planet will take to the streets." Crowds formed in many major cities, joining protesters worldwide on International Workers Day to demand economic equality.  But the day remained mostly peaceful. Promised stoppages of mass transportation and commerce by the Occupy movement largely fizzled across the country.
Overall, there were a modest number of arrests and clashes in a handful of cities. Many of the demonstrators reported splinter groups dressed mostly in black who turned demonstrations violent.
Here's a roundup of flashpoints in the United States:
Seattle
Mayor Mike McGinn authorized a seizure of potential weapons after crowds of vandals dressed in black known as the "Black Bloc"   smashed up banks and other businesses with sticks, batons, and rocks,  reports the Seattle Times.
Niketown and American Apparel downtown were hit.  A  half dozen Starbucks closed early after stores reported broken windows.
At least two were arrested during the vandalism spree. Police said the vandals dressed in black were hard to track because they discarded their clothing to blend in with onlookers. Tear gas was used to stop some of the vandals.
The protesters also took out their anger at the U.S. Court of Appeals building,  shooting paint balls at it, shattering glass doors, and attempting to ignite an incendiary device.
Los Angeles
Not officially part of Occupy, employees at Los Angeles International Airport joined May Day demonstrations to protest the hiring of non-union workers. Ten were arrested for blocking an intersection near LAX, reports CBS LA.
In another gathering in downtown, a group of protesters appeared to surround LAPD officers, reports the L.A. Times. A  female officer was struck in the head with a skateboard, denting her helmet.  She was taken to the hospital, but the injury was not life-threatening.
The incident marred a "festive" atmosphere during protests earlier in the day.
San Francisco Bay Area
In Oakland, police using tear gas confronted a protest of about 400 downtown. Nine were arrested and at least one demonstrator was reportedly tasered. Protesters blocked streets throughout the day and vandalized two banks in the area. A news van and police vehicle were also vandalized.
Earlier plans to shut down the Golden Gate Bridge were abandoned. Golden Gate Ferry workers, however,  went on strike over health care coverage and morning service was canceled.
A group of a protesters tried to take over a building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco -- the same one protesters briefly occupied as a commune on April 1, reports CBS SF. A protester dressed in black threw pipes and bricks  from the roof of a building at police. Two arrests were made.
The evening before  hundreds gathered in the Mission District in San Francisco. As the group began to march through the streets, some protesters began breaking car windows, spray-painting anarchist symbols on restaurants and attacking a police station.
One Occupy SF protester disavowed the violence. "I know Occupiers," Jesse Smith told KTVU. "None of us have any idea who they were."
One person was arrested.
New York City
Hundreds from Occupy Wall Street marched over the Williamsburg Bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but did not shut down any bridges or tunnels as organizers earlier had planned.
About 30 protesters were arrested over the course of the day for mostly minor  charges,  ranging from resisting arrest to blocking street traffic, reports the New York Daily News.  Confrontations were scattered around the city. There was a skirmish on the Lower East Side with masked protesters who  may not be part of the main Occupy group.
Letters containing a white powder that turned out to be cornstarch were sent to various New York banks and media outlets, and one was sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, reports the Associated Press.
The letters read "Happy May Day..This is a reminder that you are not in control.." said authorities.
Cleveland
Five people, claiming to be anarchists, have been arrested in Cleveland for trying to blow up a four-lane bridge across the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The local Occupy crowd said they were a part of their operation, but have now distanced themselves.
The suspects had bought fake explosives and placed them near the bridge Monday. The suspects were arrested after 9 p.m. Monday, according to WEWS.
The public was never in danger from the devices, according to Fox News. The explosive devices were inoperable and controlled by an undercover FBI agent. Charges against the suspects were filed Tuesday morning.
—With reporting from  Jeff Stacklin


SOURCE: YAHOO NEWS


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