In contrast to scenes of violence in Rome, where protests developed into a riot, anti-capitalist protesters in Dundee held peaceful demonstrations in the city centre over the weekend.
Local members of the anti-capitalist movement Occupy said they had reacted after the initial protests in New York highlighted the growing opposition to ”capitalist greed” across the world.
The group’s spokesman, Nikolas Brown (19), who is ”chronically unemployed,” said the campaign will continue until ordinary people achieve change.
”We are part of the Occupy movement which started with the New York demonstrations,” he said. ”There were demonstrations in 174 cities yesterday, and this is just part of it.
”Somebody calling themselves John Smith put up something on Facebook and we had about 75 or 80 people down here on Saturday.
”It doesn’t matter who it is though, it’s the largest movement in world history and everybody is determined to come back again every weekend.
”This will just grow and grow because everybody is fed up of the people who run the economy.
”They can always find the money to fund their interests, whether it’s war, oil, bankers who screw up or just their own greed, but at the end of the day they can’t find the money for ordinary people.
”We’re a movement for change and I think this will get bigger and bigger every day. Everybody just wants an end to monetary greed.”
A day of global action on Saturday saw protests all across the world, with demonstrations also taking place in New Zealand, parts of Asia and elsewhere in Europe.
The most violent clashes were in Rome, with bank and shop windows smashed, cars burned and bottles thrown.
Around 5000 people also marched at the scene of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York.
In the Italian capital, officers in riot gear charged demonstrators and fired water cannons at them.
Several officers and protesters were injured, including one man who was trying to stop others from throwing bottles.