Occupy Oakland in flames: Cops use tear gas and protesters are run over on violent night as they shut-down busy shipping port



California demonstrators shut down city's port while blocking traffic



Riot police fire tear gas and stun grenades to try and regain control

Two protesters hospitalised after they were struck by Mercedes car



Protesters went on rampage vandalising banks and storefronts

Chase and Wells Fargo branches attacked and Whole Foods store



Meanwhile... Occupy Seattle protesters target Chase CEO Jamie Dimon

Occupy Wall Street warned they will be cracked down on by Bloomberg



Occupy Baltimore left in dark after city officials turn off electricity

Occupy Minnesota protesters told to prepare for winter plaza changes



Occupy Oakland protesters claimed victory after they shut down one of the nation's busiest shipping ports - escalating a movement whose tactics had largely been limited to marches, rallies and camps.

In a five-hour stand-off protesters vandalised businesses and smashed bank windows, as they tried to shut down the city - and police appeared to respond using tear gas and flash bang grenades.

The California demonstrators blocked operations at the city's port and stopped traffic on Wednesday in protests against economic inequality and police brutality, marred by scattered vandalism.

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Riots: Occupy Oakland protesters pass a burning rubbish heap during a confrontation with police



Protest: Smoke billows from bonfires in Oakland after protesters seized control of the city's busy port

Clashes: Hooded youths move towards riot police firing tear gas as business and banks were vandalised

Gridlock: Protesters set up a bonfire in Oakland as traffic was blocked by inequality demonstrations

Car trouble: Paramedics help an injured protester after a car stuck him and another marching demonstrator

‘Continued missed shifts represent economic hardship for maritime workers, truckers, and their families, as well as lost jobs and lost tax revenue for our region,’ a port spokesman said.

'Continued missed shifts represent economic hardship for maritime workers, truckers, and their families, as well as lost jobs and lost tax revenue for our region' Port of Oakland spokesman

Supporters in New York; Philadelphia, Los Angeles and elsewhere staged smaller-scale demonstrations - each group saying its protest was a show of support for Oakland.

The city became a rallying point when Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen was seriously injured in a clash with police last week in an incident that caused nationwide outrage among the protesters.

The Occupy movement has yet to coalesce into an organised association and until the port shut down had largely been limited scattershot marches, rallies and camps since it began in September.

Menacing: Three masked protesters stand in a street in Oakland as riot police move in behind them

Violence: A protester in a mask waves a flag in front of a bonfire. Riot police responded with tear gas

Victory: Oakland protestors cheer as they climb on tractor trailers loaded with shipping containers at the port

Mayhem: Oakland protesters stand atop a railroad scaffold at the port during the five hour stand-off

Pain: A man is treated by protesters after he was sprayed in the face with pepper spray at Occupy Seattle Organisers in Oakland had viewed the day as a significant victory. Police said about 7,000 people demonstrated throughout the day and were peaceful except for a few incidents of vandalism. 'We put together an ideological principle that the mainstream media wouldn't talk about two months ago' Boots Riley, protest leader

One of the protest leaders, Boots Riley, touted the day as a success, saying ‘we put together an ideological principle that the mainstream media wouldn't talk about two months ago’. His comments came before a group of demonstrators moved to break into the Travelers Aid building in order to, as some shouting protesters put it, ‘reclaim the building for the people’. Mr Riley, whose anti-capitalist views are well-documented, considered the port shut down particularly significant for organisers who targeted it in an effort to stop the ‘flow of capital.’

Held: A man jumps on to the bonnet of a police car as a fellow protesters is arrested during Occupy Seattle

Inequality: Protesters carrying banners and placards pass through a tunnel during a march in Los Angeles

Violence: Occupy Oakland protesters vandalised businesses and smashed bank windows on Wednesday

The port sends goods primarily to Asia, including wine as well as rice, fruits and nuts, and handles imported electronics, apparel and manufacturing equipment, mostly from Asia. 'If they do that after all this... they're smarter than that' Boots Riley , protest leader

It also deals with cars and parts from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai. An accounting of the financial toll from the shutdown was not immediately available. The potential for the chaos that ultimately erupted was not something Mr Riley wanted to even consider. ‘If they do that after all this ...’ He paused, then added: ‘They're smarter than that.’ But the peace at day did not last at night. Protesters voicing anger over a budget trim that forced the closure of a homeless aid programme converged on the empty building where it had been housed.

Fight: Demonstrators with opposing agendas clash during as they meet outside a bank in downtown Oakland

Anarchy: Protesters on the second march of the day turned violent, smashing windows at a Chase bank branch

Protest: Emotions have run high in the city since last week when an attempt by police to break up a camp led to the serious injury of an Iraq war veteran who had joined in with the Occupy Oakland protests They blocked off city streets with dumpsters and other large rubbish bins, starting bonfires that leapt 15ft in the air. City officials released a statement describing the spasm of unrest. 'The protesters began hurling rocks, explosives, bottles and flaming objects at responding officers. Several private and municipal buildings sustained heavy vandalism'

Oakland Police spokesman

‘Oakland Police responded to a late night call that protesters had broken into and occupied a downtown building and set several simultaneous fires,’ the statement read. ‘The protesters began hurling rocks, explosives, bottles and flaming objects at responding officers. ‘Several private and municipal buildings sustained heavy vandalism. Dozens of protesters wielding shields were surrounded and arrested. Symbol: A protester burns a dollar bill in Oakland in front of graffiti as a sign of the demonstrators' message Disruption: Thousands of Wall Street protesters marched through the streets of Oakland Divisions: Occupy leaders called the violent demonstrators 'anarchists' and denied they were in the movement

Clean-up: Occupy Wall Street protesters clean the area around their tent in Zuccotti Park in New York ’ Protesters reported running from several rounds of tear gas and bright flashes and deafening pops that some thought were caused by ‘flash bang’ grenades. Firemen arrived to suppress the flames. OCCUPY WALL STREET CLEAN-UP Protesters at Occupy Wall Street took to the camp with soap and water today. Campers have been attempting to improve hygiene following criticism of unsanitary conditions at the downtown Manhattan site. The park is normally cleaned daily but has deteriorated since demonstrators moved in. Last month protesters were briefly moved off site so owners could clean the park but they have continued to flout the rules of the park, which include no tarps, tents or lying down. Meanwhile, protesters and police faced off for the rest of the night in an uneasy standoff. And among the other protests in Oakland, parents and their children joined in with a ‘children's brigade’. ‘There's absolutely something wrong with the system,’ said Jessica Medina, a single mother who attends school part time and works at an Oakland café. ‘We need to change that.’ In Philadelphia, protesters were arrested earlier on Wednesday as they held a sit-in at the headquarters of cable giant Comcast. In New York, 100 military veterans marched in uniform and stopped in front of the New York Stock Exchange, standing in loose formation as officers on scooters separated them from the entrance. New York City Mayor Bloomberg said it was time for protesters to start treating their Manhattan neighbourhood with respect, reported the New York Daily News. ‘No one should think that we won’t take actions that we think are appropriate when we think they are appropriate,’ he said in a press conference. ‘This isn’t an occupation of Wall Street. It’s an occupation of a growing, vibrant residential neighbourhood in lower Manhattan.’ In Boston, college students and union workers marched on Bank of America offices, the Harvard Club and the Statehouse to protest the nation's burgeoning student debt crisis.

See video of anarchists attacking Whole Foods store here





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