A very privileged protest: Wearing $300 jeans and from some of the most exclusive schools, the children of the one per cent out for a good time at Occupy Wall Street



Teens from Bard and Parsons show their solidarity in NY



Chicago protesters heckle financial industry events



Dozens are arrested, including girl, 14, in first Des Moines protest



Wall St demonstrators plan march today on millionaires' mansions

100 arrested as police clash with protesters in Boston

Man falls to his death from car park near San Diego protesters

Obama senior adviser says President is on demonstrators' side



They have branded themselves the 99 per cent, camping out in New York's financial district to protest against corporate greed and financial inequality.

But on the ground at the epicentre of the Occupy Wall Street demonstration, a closer look at some of the impassioned protesters is starting to suggest that while many of them have genuine grievances, all may not be completely as advertised.

The flash of a designer belt, a watch or even, in one case, a huge wad of cash reveals many activists are not quite so hard done by.

Financial inequality? One of the young men camping out flashes a wad of cash

Tight knit: Among the group are now a growing number of privileged college students

Among the hardcore of well-intentioned protesters sleeping rough in Zuccotti Park are also the children of the wealthiest 'one per cent' - taking a break from classes at private schools to show their solidarity... and join the fun.

As millionaire celebrities pledged allegiance to the protesters despite very healthy bank balances, MailOnline spoke to youngsters who have joined the movement, many of whom study at colleges which cost their parents up to $200,000.

'Barack Obama is with the protesters'

Barack Obama's senior adviser David Plouffe today confirmed that the President is on the side of the Occupy Wall Street protesters - and said the Republicans are not. 'A lot of these Republicans are basically saying: ‘You know what? Let’s go back to the same policies that led to the great recession in the first place",' he told ABC. Mr Plouffe added: 'If you’re concerned about Wall Street and our financial system, the President is standing on the side of consumers and the middle class.'



Sleeping beside the hardcore activists are increasing numbers of wealthy students turning up to make the most of the party atmosphere, drugs and free food.



While they dress down to blend in, the youngsters' privileged backgrounds are revealed by glimpses of expensive gadgetry or the absent minded mention of their private schools during heated political debates.



One student, who did not want to be named, admitted she had been sleeping at the protest site with her boyfriend despite living in nearby TriBeCa, a neighbourhood which is home to many of New York's A list celebrities.

While she is not camping out, she studies at Bard College in Manhattan - a private school which charges fees of up to $200,000 for a four-year degree.

Other youngsters - some of whom as young as 16 - travelled from afar to make the most of a day off high school because of Columbus Day.



Hard life: A group of college girls at the site. Some spoke of attending Bard, a private school which charges $200,000 in fees

Day off: Schoolchildren took advantage of Columbus Day to make the trip to New York

One of the students who joined in, an arts major at trendy Parsons design school in New York, flicked through pictures on her pricey laptop as she sat on the park floor.

Death near San Diego demonstrators

A 42-year-old man fell to his death on Monday in an eight-storey drop from a parking structure near where Occupy San Diego demonstrators were gathered. It’s not known if he identified with protesters - and he was carrying some flyers in his pockets, but it is also not yet known if they were political tracts or had some other content, police said. Police had originally reported a suicide, but the San Diego Medical Examiner’s website said he was attempting to hang fliers from the outside of the car park and fell, reported 10 News.

Occupy San Diego held a candlelight vigil on Monday evening. A spokesman said they heard a noise ‘like a gun shot or a car backfiring’ when he fell to his death during the afternoon. The movement, aimed at protesting against economic inequality, has drawn hundreds of demonstrators to downtown San Diego.

Another listened to a speech and chanted along with furious activists while wearing a pair of True Religion jeans - which are marketed on their website at about $300.

Elsewhere, a huge crackdown on Occupy Boston’s second campsite by hundreds of police officers saw around 100 protesters arrested in Massachusetts and their tents and personal belongings reportedly thrown into bins.

They were arrested early this morning after they ignored warnings to move from a downtown greenway near where they have been camped out for more than a week, police said.



Back in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is among those of the belief that many of the protesters are simply there for a good time.

On Monday he said he will allow Occupy Wall Street protesters to stay indefinitely at their Manhattan village - suggesting they will eventually leave because many have only camped out there because of the warm weather.

But he added that they will only be allowed to stay in Zuccotti Park as long as they obey the laws.

'The bottom line is - people want to express themselves,' Mayor Bloomberg told the Wall Street Journal before the Columbus Day Parade. 'And as long as they obey the laws, we’ll allow them to.'

He said he had 'no idea' how long the demonstrations will last - but added: 'I think part of it has probably to do with the weather.'

No money? One of the young revellers gets out his wallet while talking to another man, both of whom are smoking drugs

Joining the party: Revellers roll cigarettes with huge amounts of tobacco

In other U.S. cities the Occupy movement continued to grow as the ethos of the Wall Street protests spreads across the country.

Thousands marched through the streets in downtown Chicago, Illinois, yesterday in protests that snarled rush hour traffic.

Chanting 'We are the 99 per cent' and 'Tax, tax, tax the rich' demonstrators gathered outside the Chicago Art Institute to protest at a cocktail reception held by a U.S. futures industry trade group.

Others marched outside a luxury hotel near to where the American Mortgage Bankers Association was holding a meeting downtown.

Police estimated a crowd of around 3,000 protesters at the events, organized by the 'Stand Up Chicago' coalition under a banner of reclaiming 'our jobs, our homes and our schools', according to the group's website.

'We really want to highlight the role the financial industry has played,' said Adam Kader of Arise Chicago, an interfaith workers' rights group and part of the coalition.

'They're here in our backyard, so this is the time to send a message about how we're really hurting,' he added, saying the demonstration would focus on foreclosures, unemployment and lack of public funding for key services.

Exercising their rights: Rose Caulfield, centre, participates in a public yoga session in Zuccotti Park on Monday

Bored? Many of the protesters played games on their cell phones throughout the day

Got enough gadgets? One of the young female protesters plays on her phone while resting her legs on the laptop she has taken with her for the stay

Designer: A man at the gathering wore True Religion jeans, which cost more than $300, while a glamorous young girl came in trendy knitwear

Nice shoes: Big spenders gave themselves away with wardrobe choices

Twenty-six demonstrators, many wearing Chicago Teachers Union T-shirts, were arrested when they linked arms and sat down in Monroe Street, chanting 'Save our schools, save our homes!' They were ticketed and released.

Another demonstrator was arrested and faces a charge of battery on a police officer.

Nearby, a crowd chanted 'Shame on you!' to members of the Futures Industry Association who peered out from a balcony of the Chicago Art Institute, where they attended a party.

On the streets, despite mostly orderly marching and chants, anger was the common element among the crowds of protesters.

'I've got loads of loans,' said Wedad Yassin, a student at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, who was among the protesters.

She said she wanted a fairer tax system that 'stops putting our taxes towards war' and invests in education.

'Obama talks about there's going to be some answers to the education problem, but I don't see it,' Ms Yassin said.

Big name: Singer Kanye West visits demonstrators with Occupy Wall Street on Monday in New York

Appropriate? Millionaire Kanye West wore a massive gold chain and wrist jewellery at the site



Big sign: A child lifts up a banner which towers above his small frame

Sending out a message: Many of the protesters were there for political reasons - but not all

Protesters arrived by the busload, including many Chicago Teachers Union members who climbed off yellow school buses that parked near police barricades.

Andromachi Koumbis, an elementary school teacher, said she showed up because she was unhappy with what she termed 'tampering' with the Chicago teachers labor contract that will add hours to the school day.

'I don't mind longer hours if it's done right,' she said. 'It's funny that they say kids first, and then they bail out big corporations.'

In Des Moines, Iowa, dozens were arrested on Sunday night at the city's first occupy protest, including a former Iowa state representative and a 14-year-old girl.

Where are the protests happening?

Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; Burlington, VT; Richmond, VA; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta, GA; New York, NY; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; Tampa, FL; Mobile, AL; Cincinnati, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Minneapolis, MN; Austin, TX; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; San Francisco, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Jose, CA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Anchorage, AK.

Video from the event shows police officers dragging or carrying away some protesters. Others were escorted away with their hands zip-cuffed, the Huffington Post reported.

Police swooped on the protesters on the Iowa statehouse's west lawn for 'trespassing'. The area closes to the public at 11pm, officers said.

All but one of them have pleaded not guilty to charges and some said they believed the police had used excessive force.



Sally Frank, a Drake University law professor who has been working as a legal observer on behalf of the protesters, said she believed the police had gone too far and that the arrests had violated constitutional rights to freedom of assembly.

She told the Huffington Post: 'There was a level of force that was used that I have not seen before in Iowa, and I've been doing legal support for protesters since 1990.'

Sergeant Jana Rooker, a spokesman for the local sheriff's office, told the Huffington Post around 40 people were arrested for trespassing and various other charges.

Former state representative Ed Fallon was among the first to be taken away, and a 14-year-old girl was taken to a juvenile detention centre. She was released around 1.30am on Monday morning.

Happy to be here: The youngsters are said to have descended to join in on the carnival atmosphere

Protest tourism: These youngsters made the journey from Long Island, where they go to school

Hand in hand: Two of the young revellers, holding hands as they relax together

Copping off? Numbers are swapped as one of the youngsters pictured leaves the site

Back in New York's financial district, the atmosphere around the protests has become increasingly debauched as more and more youngsters join.

Conspicuously living among the politically active in the makeshift village in Zuccotti Park are now also opportunistic junkies and homeless people - making the most of the freebies on offer.

Some of those camped on the site have been smoking marijuana in plain site, despite the strong police presence in the area.

Protesters said the site smells like a sewer and the free condoms have given visions of what the Woodstock festival was like. In one shocking picture, a man was seen defecating on a police car.

'Most of the kids are trust-fund babies. They don’t need to be here,' Andre, a 40-year-old activist told the New York Post. 'I’ve seen some making out, having sex. It doesn’t look good.'

Ironically, many of the wealthy youngsters are planning a 'Millionaires March' - to confront some of New York's wealthiest tycoons on Tuesday.



Between 400 and 800 protesters plan to march to the homes of NewsCorp CEO Rupert Murdoch, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, conservative billionaire David Koch, financier Howard Milstein and hedge fund mogul John Paulson.

In quotes: How Occupy Wall Street is dividing Democrats and Republicans

‘I am increasingly concerned about the growing mobs occupying Wall Street and other cities across our country'

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor 'I support the message to the establishment, whether it's Wall Street or the political establishment and the rest, that change has to happen'

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi 'They're trying to take away the tax base we have, because none of this is good for tourism'

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg 'The proof is quite simply the bankers and the people on Wall Street didn't write these failed policies of the Obama administration'

GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain 'We have had a strain of hostility to free enterprise. And frankly a strain of hostility to classic America starting in our academic institutions and spreading across this country'

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich 'We realise that Occupy Wall Street is calling for systemic change. We are honoured to join you in this call to take back our nation and democracy'

Ben & Jerry's

Park life: Protesters at Zucotti Park in New York were in good spirits as demonstrations continued



Painted support: Occupy Wall Street protesters gather in New York's Zuccotti Park where they have been sleeping, eating and planning protests

Flesh: Some entertained themselves by taking their tops off and painting their bodies

Despite their ire against the wealthiest Americans, some of the elite one per cent have been spotted trying to align themselves with protesters over the past few days.

Kanye West was spotted earlier on Monday, supposedly lending his support to the demonstration.

The rapper -whose song 'Gold Digger' is an ode to poor girls who want his money - is estimated by Forbes to have earned $16million over the past year - making him the third highest earner in the hip-hop industry at the moment, trailing only P. Diddy and Jay-Z.

The singer - who once famously stated 'George Bush doesn't care about black people' in a Hurricane Katrina appeal - was pictured in New York wearing a customary gold chain and gold grill on his teeth.

A very modern protest: A design student scrolls through photographs on her pricey laptop

High tech: A protester takes time away from chanting to play on his iPhone, while another shows off his smiley-face headphones

Modern: A woman protester uses one of her gadgets to send out a message to the one per cent

His appearance comes after the site was visited by actors Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon and Penn Badgley.

Other famous names who visited the New York site on Monday included Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam records, and civil rights campaigner the Reverend Al Sharpton.

The protests against the state of the U.S. political and economic systems have now spread to more than 25 cities - from Sacramento to Seattle, Anchorage to Atlanta and Mobile to Minneapolis.

Saw and Lethal Weapon actor Danny Glover was at the Occupy LA protests in California at the weekend - and Ben & Jerry's ice-cream also got behind the national movement this week.