Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators as well as university students hold placards during a protest marking the two month of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest at Union Square in New York, the United States, Nov. 17, 2011. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

 
NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in New York`s financial district Thursday, swarming sidewalks near the New York Stock Exchange amid scuffles with police, on the Occupy Wall Street movement`s two-month anniversary.

The protest began after 7 a.m. eastern time as the crowd gathered around Zuccotti Park and marched to Wall Street, chanting slogans like "Shut down Wall Street," "We are the 99%."

New York Police beefed up security with a heavy presence in the neighborhood, using motorcycles and metal barricades to block the protesters` progress. NYSE workers were asked to show identifications to enter the area. Nevertheless, trading at the NYSE opened as usual at 9:30 a.m.

"Here is the evil place of American capitalism and we are here to protest the gap between the rich and poor," a protester named Katie told Xinhua, while chanting "shame, shame."

"I respect their right to protest and rally, but please also respect our right to have a normal life," an office worker named Peter told Xinhua as he tried hard to walk through the crowd to get to his office nearby.

Dozens of protesters sat on sidewalks in plastic handcuffs and were hauled away in police vans. About 60 arrests were made in connection with the protests, mostly for disorderly conduct, according to a New York Police Department spokesman.

Protesters also plan to fan out on subway trains throughout the five boroughs late Thursday following a rally at Foley Square near City Hall, and march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Occupy Wall Street protesters lost their two-month campsite at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan on Nov. 15, when city police in riot gear swept into the privately owned public park at around 1 a. m. and arrested about 200 people.

Since Sept. 17, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to major U.S. cities. New York City has spent 6 million U.S. dollars on protest-related costs, excluding the Nov. 15 raid, according to the city authorities.

"Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators as well as university students hand out flyers during a protest marking the two month of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest at Union Square in New York, the United States, Nov. 17, 2011. (Xinhua/Fan Xia )