Occupy protests spread to cities around the world

By Faith Karimi, CNN

updated 11:55 AM EST, Sat October 15, 2011

 

Vandalism erupted in Rome on Saturday, October 15, as protesters took to the streets to speak out against corruption. Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Rome as part of a global day of protests.

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Occupy protests go global

• NEW: Julian Assange addresses the crowd in london
• The predominantly peaceful protests were inspired by Occupy Wall Street
• Organizers say 951 cities in 82 countries are taking part
• Vandalism and fires erupt at Rome demonstration

Are you attending or covering the protests? Send us your photos and videos.

(CNN) -- Thousands of people across the world railed against corporate power, grinding poverty, and government cuts Saturday as the Occupy Wall Street movement spread to the streets of Europe, Asia and Australia -- and took a particularly violent turn in Rome.
Firefighters battled a blaze at an Interior Ministry building near Porta San Giovanni in Rome, the main gathering site of the Italian protesters taking part in the Occupy movement Saturday, said eyewitnesses who reported seeing a Molotov cocktail thrown near the building. Police said hundreds of anarchists confronting peaceful protesters in Rome where demonstrators had gathered as part of the global Occupy movement.
In London, protester Peter Vaughn, reflecting the mood of many in the crowd there, said people are criticizing financial institutions that have "gambled away our money."
"We're giving people a real voice against a government that just ignored us," he said.

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One protester said in Belleville, France, referring to the country's leaders, said government isn't listening to the people and dialogue with them is impossible.
"You are not listening to us, whatever we do, however we vote, however we demonstrate. It does not give any result. Quite the opposite, as poverty and austerity plans continue. So we can't go on like this so we are getting out and showing ourselves," he said.
United for Global Change -- the central site for the movement organizing worldwide protests -- said 951 cities in 82 countries were to take part in the demonstrations after online organizers called for a worldwide rally.
Europeans turned out amid debt troubles and austerity plans in Greece, Belgium Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal and Germany.
Protesters marched, listened to speeches, and displayed banners reading anti-corporate slogans, including the now ubiquitous "we are the 99%" "Banks are cancer," and tax the rich 1%,"
But vandalism erupted in Rome. The blaze at the Interior Ministry building was near Porta San Giovanni in Rome, the main gathering site of the Italian protest, a journalist at the scene told CNN.
Witnesses saw car fires and masked people breaking windows at banks and stores, where many thousands turned and faced a large police presence. Police blame the violence on anarchist groups.
Still, the demonstrations across the world were peaceful overall, inspired by the protests in the United States. In London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange spoke to demonstrators.
"What is happening here today is a culmination of greed that many people all over the world have worked towards from Cairo to London," Assange said.
Across the globe in Asia, angry protesters deplored greed and slammed banks.
"We should not let the banks get away with being big bullies," said retired businessman Wong Chi Keung, in Hong Kong.
Debbie Chen works for a group protesting against Apple's treatment of its workers in China.
"As the world's most valuable company they earn the lion's share while the workers on the production line earn only 1% of the selling price of an iPhone. We hope there can be more even distribution of profits," she said.

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About 200 people marched through Tokyo carrying various signs, including "No More Nukes and "Free Tibet." The crowd included children jumping and skipping behind the adults. Some protesters wore costumes -- including a giant panda.
"I'm here because young Japanese people are suffering for losing their jobs, but not many speak out their issue to the public," said Kesao Murakami. "I really want to young people appeal forcefully to the public saying, 'We are in trouble.' "
In the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, about two dozen people -- some wearing masks -- gathered near the U.S. Embassy.
"We wanted to show that the American regime, its system of imperialism needs to be destroyed," said Rudi Daman, leader of the International League of Peoples' Struggle.
The group urged its chapters to stage a global day of action against "imperialist plunder, repression and war."
Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney joined rallies against "corporate greed" as protesters aligned themselves with the global movement.
"Our protests are to show our solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and also protest various problems -- from indigenous issues in this country to government problems," said Alex Gard, one of the Melbourne organizers. "We know we have it better than the protesters in the States ... but there are still problems in this country."
Organizers urged protesters to bring sleeping bags and other soft items to sleep on.
"I've heard people say they plan to be there for days, even months," Gard said.
Organizers worldwide started social media pages on Facebook and Twitter devoted to "October 15" — #O15 on Twitter — urging protesters to join the global call for protests.
The worldwide movement is galvanized by the Occupy Wall Street movement started last month as a backlash against the economy and what demonstrators say is an out-of-touch corporate, financial and political elite.
Occupy Wall Street organizers say they are inspired by the Arab Spring that led to the toppling of regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.
The founding movement in the United States has spread to other major cities in the nation.

CNN's Junko Ogura, Kathy Quiano, Per Nyberg, Laura Perez-Maestro, Livia Borghese, Erin McLaughlin, Diana Magnay and Tim Schwarz contributed to this report