Wall Street protests take zombie turn

Protesters angry at the financial world continued their "occupation" of Wall Street in NewYorkon Monday by dressing up as corporate zombies to greet bankers on their way to the office.

The diverse group has been using unconventional means to protest the greed and fraud they perceive in the corporate community for the past three weeks. About 700 protesters were arrested as they marched on the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend.

For Monday's protest, Patrick Bruner, a spokesman for the group, said demonstrators are being urged to dress in business wear with white faces and blood, and will march while eating Monopoly money. He said financial workers should see them "reflecting the metaphor of their actions."

It's not yet known how big the protest might grow. The movement started with fewer than a dozen college students spending days and nights in Zuccotti Park, a plaza near the city's financial centre. But it has grown.

Thus far, the protesters lack an organized cohesive strategy. But Wall Street has become the rallying point for a diverse group of people speaking against corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other concerns.

Later Monday, Bruner said, an anti-police brutality protest is planned on the steps of city hall.

Celebrities such as filmmaker Michael Moore and actor Alec Baldwin have lent their support to the movement, and on Monday, billionaire financier George Soros expressed cautious support for the protesters.

During a news conference at UN headquarters about his participation in an African development, Soros saidhe sympathizes with the protesters. He said he understands the frustrations of small business owners, including those who have seen credit card charges soar during the current crisis.

Similar movements have sprung up elsewhere, including Boston and Los Angeles. There's a planned demonstration in Toronto starting Oct. 15.

Occupations are also planned in the streets in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary.