The protesters marched from the city`s financial district to Times Square, disrupting traffic on busy Manhattan streets. The month-long Occupy Wall Street movement, which began here, has spread across the country and the world, with similar large scale protests being held in Asia and Europe.
New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said that after an orderly procession of hundreds of protesters from Zuccotti Park to Washington Square, a smaller group left Washington Square and entered a Citibank branch.
In a statement, Citigroup said a large amount of protesters entered its branch and were very disruptive, refusing to leave after being repeatedly asked. The bank staff then called 911 emergency service.
As the protesters reached Times Square, they shouted slogans and banged drums. Seventy-four protesters were arrested during the demonstration. Most of those held were charged with criminal trespass, while one person was charged with resisting arrest, Browne said.
`Occupy Wall Street` is an ongoing series of demonstrations against alleged social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government, among other concerns.
Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, over 1,000 protesters in London and thousands others in Rome and elsewhere across the world yesterday protested against deep budget cuts and corporate greed. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange joined the protesters in London.