Protesters from Occupy Wall Street hit New York City streets again on Monday to mark their one-year anniversary, disrupting access to the Stock Exchange, as police detained more than 180 people.

All roads lead to Wall Street, they control our lives

In New York’s Financial District, roughly 600 demonstrators carrying signs that read “Get money out of politics” and “We are the 99 per cent” took to the streets around Zuccotti Park, the birthplace of the movement.

The crowd later swelled to around 1,000 as they marched again in several groups and tried to get in the park, with a massive police guard reining in their movement.

“All day, all week, occupy Wall Street!” demonstrators sang.

A police spokesman confirmed 181 arrestsand reporters on the ground saw several protesters being detained.

In terms of sheer numbers, the rally paled in comparison to some of the movement’s bigger actions – organisers said more than 30,000 protested in November 2011 to rally against economic inequality and wealth disparities.

But activists said Occupy Wall Street’s message – which has become part of the national political debate in the US ahead of the November presidential election – was no less powerful.

“We are sending the message that Wall Street bankers cannot go to work every morning without thinking what theirinstitutions are doing to the country,” protest spokesman Mark Brey said.

Several people were taken into custody at one entrance to Wall Street, and demonstrators were detained near Zuccotti Park as police on horseback blocked side streets.

At one point, marchers appeared on Broadway in an attempt to disrupt the morning commute.

Around the Stock Exchange, protesters had split into four groups to complicate the task of the police.

Those taken into custody included retired Episcopalian bishop George Packard, clearly identifiable as a clergyman in his long purple robe.

“I am here today because of the greed of Wall Street,” he said. “All roads lead to Wall Street, they control our lives.”

The movement has seen a steep drop in support since a year ago, when hun­dreds camped in the park to rally against bank bailouts and what they called the ruling “one per cent”.

Last year, Occupy’s camp in Zuccotti Park spawned similar protests in cities around the world as the movement tapped into widespread resentment over the economic slump, persistent unemployment and anger at financial practices.

But this time around, support in other US cities waned, with no signs of major protests elsewhere – in a sign the movement has failed to make good on promises to return as a significant force.

“Last year, people gathered spontaneously,” recalled Sara Blom, a 30-year-old Dutch anthropologist and film-maker. “It was a good kind of chaos at the beginning. But now it feels like either it has to be structured, or it is just going to disappear.”

Ahead of Monday’s action, organisers had hoped the one-year anniversary would help revitalise protests.

On the media-savvy OccupyWallSt.org site, organisers maintained that their protests remain more relevant than ever.

Monday “marks the beginning of year two of Occupy Wall Street and four years since Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy, helping catapult our global economy into a new phase of disrepair,” a statement said.

A voice to inequality

• Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is the name given to a protest movement that began on September 17, 2011, in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City’s Wall Street Financial District.

• The Canadian activist group Adbusters initiated the protest, inspired by the Arab Spring and Spain’s Take the Square.

• The main issues for the protesters are social and economic inequality, as well as what they perceive to be greed, corruption and undue influence of corporations on the Government, particularly from the financial services sector.

• The OWS slogan, “We Are the 99 Per Cent”, addresses the growing income inequality and wealth distribution in the US between the wealthiest one per cent and the rest of the population.

• To achieve their goals, protesters act on consensus-based decision made in general assemblies which emphasise direct action over petitioning authorities for redress.

• Protesters were forced out of Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. After several unsuccessful attempts to re-occupy the original location, protesters turned their focus to occupying banks, corporate headquarters, board meetings and college and university campuses.

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