Third day of Wall Street protests

Protesters voiced their displeasure with Wall Street for the third day in a row on Monday. About 200 people marched near Chase Manhattan Plaza during the morning commute, down from about 1,000 on Sept. 17, Bloomberg News reports. Protestors held signs accusing the American economic system of enriching corporations and the wealthy and demanding that financial firms be held accountable for the global financial crisis.

The ongoing demonstration, dubbed #OccupyWallStreet, had been promoted on Twitter and Facebook by groups like the Canada-based advocacy organization AdbustersMedia Foundation, Bloomberg News reports. While the groups had hoped to mobilize as many as 20,000 anti-corporate protestors in a Tahrir Square-like movement, the turnout has been far less and closely controlled by the New York Police Department.

According to the New York Times:

At times, the marchers congregated at intersections, blowing horns, beating drums and dancing. At one point, near the New York Stock Exchange, a police lieutenant announced through a megaphone that members of the crowd would be arrested for disorderly conduct if they remained there. The crowd then resumed marching, as they chanted “All day, all week, occupy Wall Street.”

"The elite corporate power have hijacked democracy," Alexander Penley, an international lawyer from New York, told Reuters. "The economic depression we are experiencing today has something to do with how Wall Street is run."

So far, eight protesters have been arrested, Reuters reports, including two for attempting to enter a Bank of America office on Saturday and four on Monday for wearing masks, which is illegal for groups of two or more, police said.

Organizers have said the protests could continue for weeks or even months. According to a document obtained by Bloomberg News, similar protests are planned for financial districts in Madrid, Milan, London and Paris.