« Occupy LA » démantelé par la police – 30 novembre 2011

Occupy Wall Street: Riot police dismantle Occupy LA protests

telegraph.co.uk

30 Nov 2011

Riot police have moved in to dismantle the largest remaining Occupy Wall Street camp in America.

By Nick Allen, Los Angeles

Officers swarmed into a park outside Los Angeles City Hall where hundreds of protesters have been ensconced for two months.

The city’s mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, had set a deadline of 12.01am on Monday for them to leave but many demonstrators remained in tents.

Ahead of the raid, which had been widely expected, some protesters let off fireworks. Others linked arms and donned gas masks in anticipation of tear gas being used. Five people climbed into an elaborate tree house in an attempt to evade arrest.

Others spilled into nearby roads and lay down, and a giant peace sign was scrawled on the ground at a major junction.

Protesters also tried to erect barriers using bins to block the entrance to the park. One group, including a 79-year-old woman, sat in a ring around what they called « the tent of last resort. »

Gia Trimble, an Occupy LA spokeswoman, said: « This is a monumental night for Los Angeles. We’re going to do what we can to protect the camp. »

Mr Villaraigosa, a Democrat and former union official, has been sympathetic toward some of the protesters’ aims. The city had previously offered them office space or land to farm if they left.

The mayor said he eventually decided to act after discovering there were children living in the camp. Read more…