Thousands of "Occupy Wall Street" protesters marched to New York City's Times Square Saturday, leading to dozens of arrests.

Starting from 4 p.m. local time (8:00 GMT), at least 5,000 people marched to Times Square in midtown Manhattan from their outdoor headquarters in the financial district, banging drums and chanting, "We are sold out, banks are bailed out," and "End the war, tax the rich."

Among the protesters was a woman called Mary from New York City who told Xinhua that she had worked for 30 years but became jobless in 2000. Wielding a placard saying "No Job No Health Care No Future No American Dream," the woman said she was by no means lazy and had joined the demonstration because she could not afford her children's college education.

"I am glad OWS (Occupy Wall Street) protests are going global," Mary said, adding she was confident that the protests would bring about change.

At about 7:45 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. (11:45 to 11:50 GMT), clashes erupted as mounted police allegedly pushed a group of protesters who attempted to reach Times Square by crossing the 46th Street between the 6th and 7th Avenues. At least 42 people were arrested, police said.

More than 1,000 protesters set off Saturday noon from Zuccotti Park, a privately owned property just two blocks away from Wall Street in lower Manhattan, and marched to JP Morgan Chase bank buildings in the financial district.

The demonstration, carried out under tight police surveillance, went on peacefully for the most part, except at La Guardia Place, where police arrested 24 protesters who attempted to close their Citibank accounts there, a document posted on the movement's website said.

Some demonstrators also gathered in front of the New York Public Library to march for environmental issues, criticizing the Bank of America for having invested 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in the coal industry since 2009, which is harmful to the environment and climate.

The "Occupy Wall Street" protests emerged on Sept. 17 with only a few dozen demonstrators -- mostly young people -- trying to put up tents in front of the New York Stock Exchange. When they were denied access by the police, they made Zuccotti Park, which is owned by the multinational real estate corporation Brookfield Office Properties, their camping ground.

The number of participants has since grown to hundreds, with such facilities as food stands, mini-libraries and makeshift hospitals set up on site. They even started to publish their own newspaper, ironically entitled "The Occupied Wall Street Journal."

The protesters are speaking out against corporate greed, social inequality, global climate change and other problems, but have so far failed to make any clear political demand or propose any reform plans.

Nevertheless, they are being supported by people from all walks of life, as an increasing number of Americans are frustrated by the country's slow recovery from the 2008 recession and the continuing high unemployment rate of 9.1 percent.

The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters were spared a showdown with the police Friday, as the government backed off at the last minute from an earlier plan to evict them from their Zuccotti Park campsite.

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