Islam Times - US police arrest 11 protesters in DC

Islam Times - Police in United States have arrested 11 protesters after clearing an abandoned school building that had been occupied by a group inspired by Occupy DC.

The group 'Free Franklin' ,which protests the lack of housing for homeless people began occupying the four-story Franklin School near the Occupy DC encampment in Washington on Saturday.

The detained protesters have been charged with unlawful entry and they could each be fined and face up to one year in jail.

Occupy DC protesters blocked the streets around the site to back the take-over as police interfered to vacate the building. Demonstrators blocked alleys next to the building even after police officers went inside.

Occupy Wall Street groups have expanded their campaign to protest the foreclosures crisis that has forced many of the unemployed to give up their homes.

The Occupy movement emerged after a group of demonstrators gathered in New York's financial district on September 17 to protest against the unjust distribution of wealth in the country and the excessive influence of major corporations on US policies.

Despite the police crackdown and the mass arrests, the Occupy movement, which grew out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, has now spread to major US cities as well as to Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and other countries.