New York police prevented protesters from shutting down Wall Street on Thursday, arresting more than 200 people in repeated clashes with an unexpectedly small but spirited Occupy Wall Street rally.

Protesters took to the streets in rainy New York and cities across the United States for a day of action seen as a test of the momentum of the two-month-old grass-roots movement against economic inequality.

Organizers and city officials had expected tens of thousands to turn out for a demonstration following the New York police raid that broke up the protesters’ encampment in a park near Wall Street on Tuesday.

Police barricaded the narrow streets around Wall Street, home to the New York Stock Exchange, and used batons to push protesters onto the sidewalk as they marched through the area to try and prevent financial workers getting to their desks.

Workers were allowed past barricades with identification and the New York Stock Exchange opened on time and operated normally.

Protesters banged drums and yelled We are the 99 percent – referring to their contention that the US political system benefits only the richest 1 percent.

Authorities thwart NY protest bid to shut Wall Street

Report by Adhir Roy Chowdury