Egypt: Protesters storm Muslim Brotherhood HQ

Protesters stormed and ransacked the Cairo headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group early Monday, in an attack that could spark more violence as demonstrators gear up for a second day of mass rallies aimed at forcing the Islamist leader from power.

Organizers of the protests, meanwhile, gave Morsi until 5 p.m. on Tuesday to step down and called on the police and the military to clearly state their support for what the protest movement called the popular will.

Sunday saw millions of Egyptians flood the streets nationwide in a massive outpouring of anger and frustration with the president and the Brotherhood, the Islamist group that propelled Morsi to power. The protests were largely peaceful, although in a sign of the volatility of the country's divisions, clashes erupted in the evening around the Brotherhood's Cairo headquarters between armed Morsi supporters barricaded inside the building and young protesters pelting it with firebombs and rocks. Read more >>

Thousands protest in Athens anti-austerity rally

Thousands of Greek protesters have responded to their leader's plans for austerity measures by gathering in Athens for an anti-austerity rally. Some of the demonstrators pelted riot police with petrol bombs, bottles and pieces of marble. The protest in the capital is part of a nation-wide strike that has shut down rail service, grounded flights and closed schools. Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane reports from Athens.

When Did Dissent Become a Crime? America's Police State on Steroids

In cities hosting large gatherings such as the national political conventions or international summits, we’ve come to expect a massive militarized police presence, even as the ranks of protesters thin. But what happens to all of the new high-tech cop toys and newly passed ordinances once conventioneers leave town? They stay.

I was at the alternative journalist flophouse in Charlotte on Sept. 4, the first day of the Democratic National Convention, when I received word of kettled protesters a few blocks away. I had just met FireDogLake reporter Kevin Gosztola, and after forming a mutual admiration society, we raced outside.

We hoofed past siren-flashing police cars blocking side streets, hiking alongside an empty roadway. Walls of blue loomed ahead. Our hands went to our sides and drew cameras. As we neared a broad intersection, protesters appeared behind a double line of police using bicycles as barricades. The entire intersection was encircled by hundreds of ground troops, motorcycle cops, commanders, surveillance units and vehicles. Media flitted along the perimeter and uncertainty coursed through observers. Why had hundreds of police barricaded the protesters, were they going to sweep them up, would violence break out? Read more >>

Austerity Protests Erupt in 80 Cities Across Spain

Anger over austerity measures spilled into the streets across Spain on Thursday after parliament passed an $80 billion austerity package. Tens of thousands of protesters across 80 cities demonstrated against the imminent cuts, which include pay cuts for civil workers, an increase in sales tax, benefits cuts and a raise in retirement age.

The austerity measures were announced last week by prime minister Mariano Rajoy. Since the announcement, protests have broken out on an almost daily basis. Thursday's demonstrations, however, were the largest--swelling after Rajoy officially passed the measures through parliament with the aid of his center-right Popular Party.

Meanwhile, Germany's parliament approved a Spanish 'rescue package' worth up to $122 billion for Spain's banks. During the protests, a blockade of civil servants closed off several main roads in Madrid, while protesters chanted, "Hands up, this is a robbery!" Read more >>

20,000 March at Frankfurt Occupy Protest Rally

At least 20,000 people held a major rally of the local Occupy movement in Frankfurt on Saturday to decry austerity measures affecting much of Europe, the dominance of banks, and what they call untamed capitalism. The protesters peacefully filled the city center of continental Europe's biggest financial hub on a warm and pleasant afternoon, said Frankfurt police spokesman Ruediger Regis. 

He said 20,000 people were there, while organizers put the number at 25,000. The protest group, named Blockupy, has called for blocking access to the European Central Bank, which is located in Frankfurt's business district.

Organizer spokesman Roland Seuss the protest is "against the Europe-wide austerity dictate by the (creditor) troika of ECB, the EU Commission and the International Monetary Fund." Last year, thousands in Germany took to the streets in rallies during the worldwide Occupy movement. But as Germany's economy is robust and unemployment at a record-low, those protests have mostly fizzled out. More...

Oakland Police Used 'Overwhelming Military-Type Response' Against Occupiers

A woman pauses in front of a memorial for Scott Olsen, an Iraq veteran who was severely injured during a standoff between Occupy Oakland and Oakland police, near the Occupy Oakland encampment on October 27, 2011 in Oakland, California. Former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen remains in the hospital after he was struck in the head with a projectile during a standoff with Oakland police on Tuesday evening. Two days after police evicted Occupy Oakland protestors from their Frank Ogawa Plaza encampment, protestors have begun to move back into the plaza and are setting up tents. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Oakland police used "an overwhelming military-type response" to disperse Occupy Oakland demonstrators and fired at a former Marine and Iraq war veteran who was critically injured in the clashes in October, according to a court ordered report released Monday.

The Oakland Police Department has been under investigation by third party monitors since 2003 after reported misconduct and repeated use of unlawful force. The department came under renewed scrutiny during last year's Occupy Oakland protests that saw large amounts of police brutality; Oakland police received more than 1,000 misconduct complaints during the protests.

In the most televised case, peaceful protester and former US marine Scott Olsen was shot in the head with what is now reported to be a 'beanbag round', causing severe brain damage. More...

Banks Work With Police to Track Occupy Protesters

Because after all, isn't that who the police really work for...

The world's biggest banks are working with one another and police to gather intelligence as protesters try to rejuvenate the Occupy Wall Street movement with May demonstrations, industry security consultants said.

Among 99 protest targets in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday are JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America offices, said Marisa Holmes, a member of Occupy's May Day planning committee.

Events are scheduled in more than 115 cities, including an effort to shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, where Wells Fargo investors relied on police to get past protests at their annual meeting this week. More...

Here's What The Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About

Image by david_shankbone via Flickrbusinessinsider.com
The "Occupy Wall Street" protests are gaining momentum, having spread from a small park in New York to marches to other cities across the country.

So far, the protests seem fueled by a collective sense that things in our economy are not fair or right. But the protesters have not done a good job of focusing their complaints—and thus have been skewered as malcontents who don't know what they stand for or want.

(An early list of "grievances" included some legitimate beefs, but was otherwise just a vague attack on "corporations." Given that these are the same corporations that employ more than 100 million Americans and make the products we all use every day, this broadside did not resonate with most Americans).

So, what are the protesters so upset about, really?

Do they have legitimate gripes?

To answer the latter question first, yes, they have very legitimate gripes.

And if America cannot figure out a way to address these gripes, the country will likely become increasingly "de-stabilized," as sociologists might say. And in that scenario, the current protests will likely be only the beginning.

The problem in a nutshell is this: Inequality in this country has hit a level that has been seen only once in the nation's history, and unemployment has reached a level that has been seen only once since the Great Depression. And, at the same time, corporate profits are at a record high.

In other words, in the never-ending tug-of-war between "labor" and "capital," there has rarely—if ever—been a time when "capital" was so clearly winning.
Click here to see what the protesters are so upset about...

Greek style riots hit Occupy Oakland

Occupy Oakland protesters vandalized businesses and smashed bank windows, as they tried to shut down the city with a series of marches today.

Thousands of Wall Street protesters marched through the streets of Oakland, where demonstrators had called for a 'general strike' in an attempt to bring the city to its knees.

Emotions have run high in the city since last week when an attempt by police to break up a camp lead to the serious injury of an Iraq war veteran.

Ultimately only around five percent of city workers took the day off work, officials said.

The demonstrators' attempt to close down Oakland port, America's fifth biggest, also failed.

Perhaps frustrated at their inability to disrupt city business, protesters on the second march of the day turned violent, smashing windows at a Chase bank branch a few blocks from the city's downtown.

Graffiti was also painted on the bank. Employees tried in vain to close up the broken windows with boards and other materials, while one private security guard looked on helpless. More...

Raw Video: Calif. Cops Remove Occupy Protesters

San Diego police on Friday began removing about a half-dozen tents after warning demonstrators their personal belongings couldn't stay in the Occupy San Diego camp at a downtown plaza where they've camped for a week.

Occupy Wall Street Movement Report from the Frontlines: Origins of the 99% Movement

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeDavid DeGraw
As the occupation of Wall Street moves into its third week, there are many questions about the organizers behind the ongoing protests and the origins of the 99% Movement. As one of the many people who actively supported the effort, and helped launch the 99% Movement, I will give my perspective on the events leading up to the occupation of Liberty Park.

As I understand it, the #OccuppyWallStreet 99% Movement is a decentralized non-violent rebellion against economic tyranny. It is a leaderless movement that has been dependent upon tens of thousands of individuals taking it upon themselves to take action and fight back against their own personal financial hardships, and in defense of their family and friends who are desperately struggling to make ends meets.

The road that led to the successful occupation has been a long, hard and winding one. When you go to Liberty Park, into the heart of the occupation, you will see a very diverse group of people with opinions across the entire political spectrum. It is the very essence of a ground-up grassroots decentralized movement. Everyone there has their own individual story on what brought them to take such a strong and inspiring stand in support this action. I urge members of the press and people interested in the movement to begin a dialogue with any one of the people taking part. There are many fascinating stories to be heard and a deeper understanding of what’s happening is impossible without hearing from a plurality of voices.

To give some background information, the following is a timeline of my 19-month long personal experience within the movement: More...

Spain jobless rate soars

The first thing Silvia Huelves was told when she started studying architecture was that she should take up Chinese or Japanese -- she was not going to build anything in Spain any time soon.

It wasn't criticism of her skills but a reflection on the state of the country, where the jobless rate among 16- to 24-year-olds is a staggering 45 percent and a construction sector slump caused nearly two years of recession.

Now the young people are protesting, roughing it out in improvised camps in the hearts of Spain's main cities to bring attention to their plight. Riot police clashed with protesters in Barcelona while trying to clear a plaza of people so it could be cleaned up, injuring dozens, according to news reports.

The protesters were allowed to move back in later. While the Spaniards demonstrating across the country are angry about lots of things, bleak job prospects and having to live with mom and mad well into adulthood are high on the list. More...

Chicagoans Protest Big Bank Summit

It appears that people are mad at the banks because they can't pay back their mortgages...documented here.