ORGANISERS of the week-long Occupy Sydney protest say their activism will continue despite police forcibly evicting about 100 people from Martin Place before dawn yesterday.

”We have been removed … today but Occupy Sydney lives on, stronger than ever,” organisers said in a statement.
The activists, who had been at the Reserve Bank’s headquarters for more than eight days as part of a global campaign against capitalist greed, said police bashed and manhandled protesters.

Last night, more than 100 protesters met and decided to hold another protest on November 5.
The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said the Occupy demonstrations – which have occurred in Australia and around the world – have intensified debate about social and economic inequality.

”There seems to be a growing sense of frustration in many countries that opportunities are not being evenly shared and that the burden of the global economic downturn has been carried by those that can least bear it,” he said. ”It’s disappointing this important discussion has been obscured by instances of violence over the past few days.”

An Occupy Sydney spokesman, Mark Goudkamp, said sleeping protesters were given little warning before police descended.
”I saw bloody noses, I saw police throwing punches and I myself was put into a wrist lock like I have never experienced before – I was screaming in pain,” Mr Goudkamp said.

The NSW Police Assistant Commissioner, Mark Murdoch, said claims police used excessive force were ”grossly exaggerated”.
He said police made the ”deliberate decision” to end the protest after negotiations over an agreement to allow the protest to continue during daylight hours only broke down. ”They certainly can’t say they weren’t warned,” Mr Murdoch said.

Forty people were arrested, four of whom were charged with criminal offences. The rest were issued with infringement or court attendance notices for breaching the Local Government Act.
Akin Sari, 33, of Northcote, Victoria, appeared in Parramatta bail court yesterday charged with striking a police officer in the head with a metal torch. He was granted conditional bail and will appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on November 25.

A second protester, Annaleis du Pille, 31, was also granted bail but was ordered to remain in custody after she refused to sign a bail undertaking. Police alleged she bit an officer’s hand and repeatedly yelled, ”I do not recognise your authority” as she resisted arrest. She will appear in Central Local Court today.
The Premier, Barry O’Farrell, said police acted lawfully as it was against council laws to camp at Martin Place.

The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, said the council did not ask police to move in. She said references to council ordinances or by-laws were inaccurate.
Cr Moore said the city respected the right of people to protest.
”The police chose to enforce signage in Martin Place that prohibits camping,” she said

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/dawn-action-by-police-fails-to-deter-protests-20111…