Occupy-Style Protest Interrupts Obama

A group of protesters cut into President Obama’s speech in Manchester, New Hampshire, today with an Occupy-style call-and-response, briefly silencing the president. As Obama began to speak, a voice in the crowd yelled, “Mic check!” which was instantly echoed much the way it would be at any Occupy camp. “Mr. President,” the protesters chanted, “over 4,000 peaceful protesters have been arrested…” But before they could get any further, Obama supporters drowned them out, chanting, “Fired up, ready to go.”

“No, no, no, it’s OK,” Obama said. “I appreciate you guys making your point.” He went on to express sympathy for the Occupy movement’s “profound sense of frustration” with the fading American dream. The protesters’ actual concerns were more pointed, however, according to a written copy of their intended remarks given to CBS. “Protesters have been arrested while bankers continue to destroy the American economy,” they said. “Your silence sends the message that police brutality is acceptable. Banks got bailed out. We got sold out.” (More Occupy Wall Street stories.)