Anti-Wall St. rallies reach 1,306 cities

The anti-corporatism campaign, which began in New York's financial district under the name Occupy Wall Street, has now spread to 1,306 cities across the United States.

The website of Occupy Together, an umbrella group for the national movement, reported the new figure on Tuesday.

Local police forces, in several of the cities which have been the scene of protests, have both attacked and arrested the anti-Wall Street protesters.

The latest violence took place in Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle and Boston on Tuesday, when the police began removing demonstrators from the protest sites with the use of force.

Some 200 peaceful protesters were arrested in Boston.

Moreover, 27 activists were arrested in Chicago on Tuesday when some 3,000 protesters took to the street in a demonstration organized by the Stand Up Chicago coalition.

Demonstrators in Washington announced earlier that they would remain in the Freedom Plaza near the White House for another four months.

The movement emerged on September 17 when a group of people began rallying in New York's financial district, under the name Occupy Wall Street, to protest against top-level corruption, poverty as well as social inequality in the US.

They blame Wall Street for the economic problems faced by many in the US and have repeatedly called for an end to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to a report recently published by The New York Times, the average household income in the US after the recession has dropped even more than during the economic downturn.

The decline was described by the report as “a significant reduction in the American standard of living.”

It further suggested that the new findings could help clarify the growing mistrust that exists among US citizens towards their political system and the economic policies of authorities.