MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

‘Occupy Wall Street’ protestors vowed to keep fight in spite of 700 arrests

Protestors blocked traffic lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge

Anti-Wall Street protesters vowed to keep up their fight on Sunday despite the arrests of more than 700 people the previous day for blocking traffic lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge in an unauthorized protest.

Police issued more than 700 summonses on Saturday to members of the Occupy Wall Street movement who, despite multiple warnings, took part in the march on the Brooklyn-bound lanes which snarled traffic in the area until the bridge was reopened hours later.

Most of the protesters who were arrested were issued summonses and released.

The Occupy Wall Street movement, which has garnered the support of celebrities such as filmmaker Michael Moore and actress Susan Sarandon, are protesting against home foreclosures, high unemployment and the 2008 bailouts.

In Los Angeles, more than 100 protesters camped out in front of City Hall overnight Saturday. Occupy Wall Street organizers say they hope to see such protests spread across the country.

Saturday's march in New York began at 3:30 p.m. from the protesters' camp in Zuccotti Park, which is private land open to the public, in downtown Manhattan near the former World Trade Center.

During Saturday's protest on the bridge, police used orange mesh nets to surround the marchers in what witnesses described as chaotic scenes with protesters being handcuffed and taken off the bridge.

Warnings were given by the police to the protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway.

“Some complied and took the walkway without being arrested. Others locked arms and proceeded on the Brooklyn-bound vehicular roadway and were arrested,” a police spokesman said.

The arrests followed a peaceful march to police headquarters on Friday by more than 1,000 people to protest the arrest of 80 members of the Occupy Wall Street movement the previous week in the Union Square shopping district.