Protest rallies grip major cities

15 October 2011 Last updated at 09:24 ET

Protests against alleged corporate greed and government cutbacks have been rippling around the world’s cities.

A large crowd gathered near the Colosseum in central Rome, where there were reports of a bank being attacked and cars were set alight.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall St movement and Spain’s “Indignants”, demonstrators have turned out from Asia to Europe.

Organisers expect rallies in 82 countries, with the action due to come full circle in New York.

In London, protesters plan to converge on the City for an “Occupy the London Stock Exchange” action.

Organisers of the 15 October worldwide protests said on their web that the aim was to “initiate the global change we want”.

“United in one voice, we will let politicians, and the financial elites they serve, know it is up to us, the people, to decide our future,” it said.

Slogans painted in the Spanish capital Madrid are full of anger at politicians accused of serving the banks, not the people, and frustration over an economic crisis which has hit the poor and the ng very hard, the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford reports.

‘Huge issue’

Organisers in Rome expect 100,000 people and television pictures showed streets packed with protesters, waving banners.

Black smoke rose from at least one and some protesters waved flares in the sunlight.

Most of Saturday’s other rallies, however, have been small, with traffic barely disrupted.

Hundreds of people marched in the New Zealand cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch while in the Australian city of Sydney, some 2,000 people – including representatives of Aboriginal groups, communists and trade unionists – gathered outside the central Reserve Bank of Australia.

“Occupy” protests were also being held in South Korea, the Philippines and in Hong Kong.

At least 100 people gathered at the Taipei stock exchange, chanting “we are Taiwan’s 99%”, and saying economic growth had only benefited companies while middle-class salaries barely covered soaring housing, education and healthcare costs.

“Not just in America, but in Taiwan too inequality is becoming a huge issue,” one protester said.

“ have to think to rself, are we going in a good direction and how much further can this go before the fabric of society starts breaking down?”

The BBC’s Cindy Sui in Taipei says such a demonstration is unusual for Taiwan, which has a tradition of looking to family rather than the state for welfare support.

It remains to be seen if any of the demonstrations turn into protest camps, such as Occupy Wall Street, which began with a small group of activists in New York’s financial district a couple of months ago and has now grown to include several thousand people at times, from many walks of life.

Naomi Colvin, an organiser of the protest outside the London Stock Exchange, said the nature of the rally would be dependent on those that turn up.

Protests over the global crisis first began in the Spanish capital Madrid back in May, when hundreds took over the city’s Puerta del Sol square.

Observers say that, while protesters in Spain had concrete demands such as seeking a cut in working hours to tackle unemployment, many “Occupy” protesters are vague in their demands.

Send r pictures and videos to rpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If have a large file can upload here.

Read the terms and conditions

— ’re ’s , . : A ‘Malign Intellectual Subculture’ – George Monbiot Smears Chomsky, Herman, Peterson, Pilger And Media Lens.