What next for the ‘occupy’ campaign in the US?

It came as a complete surprise, as in the early hours of the morning riot police moved in – clearing out the hundreds of protesters who have been camped out in New York’s Zuccotti park for almost two months, writes Felicity Spector for Channel 4 News in New York.

The city’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, claimed it was all about health and safety issues. New York was a city where you could come and express yourself, he said, but the situation had become “intolerable”.

As befits these postmodern times, the original mayor’s warning came via Twitter, in a message at 01.19: “Occupants of Zuccotti should temporarily leave and remove tents and tarps. Protesters can return after the park is cleared.”

Around 150 people were arrested as the police dragged protesters from their tents, marching them further uptown and away from the park.

Chants of “No retreat, no surrender!” went up – but those who resisted were handcuffed and swiftly taken away. Crowds began to regroup, facing off police lines, with the odd scuffle. The media were deliberately kept at a distance, although some raw video shot by protesters made it online.

By morning, confusion reigned – as Bloomberg gave his own update to the press, a temporary court order appeared to allow the protesters to return – stating “occupiers (should) be allowed back on the premises with their belongings”. A hearing is due to be held shortly.

Is it a moment to declare victory, change tactics, scale up the protest camps?

In the meantime, activists have been gathering in nearby Foley Square to debate their options. As one group marched towards City Hall, a statement declared “Americans and people around the world are appalled at Bloomberg’s treatment of people who peacefully assemble. We are appalled, but not deterred”.

Right now, a crowd is trying to march back to Zuccotti park, while police try to hold them back behind barricades. Anger’s been spreading fast to other cities – even Hollywood’s celebrity supporters have chimed in, via Twitter. Alec Baldwin tweeted “Bloomberg serves Wall Street, now and forever. And Wall Street cannot handle free speech”.

And Michael Moore declared “It’s too late. Tens of millions of Americans won’t let the #OWS momentum stop. They want the banks stopped and they want their America back.”

So why now? And what next for the self-declared 99 per cent who have inspired hundreds of similar protests across America and the rest of the world?

Is it a moment to declare victory, change tactics, scale up the protest camps? In this inchoate movement whose leadership is constantly in flux, there’s no clear direction. Some talk of direct action, disrupting businesses, actions against Wall Street itself. There’s talk of some 50 working groups, all fervently discussing potential tactics.

Activist Sally Kohn told CNN the next phase for the movement was only just starting: “You can evict protesters”, she said, “but you can never evict a growing idea”.

What is clear is that the actual encampment at Zuccotti Park was already heading for problems – with wintry temperatures set to plunge to near freezing over the next few days. Mayor Bloomberg’s action may even have done the protesters a favour, as Ezra Klein writes in the Washington Post.

The park, he says “was cleared by a billionaire mayor from Wall Street and a request by one of America’s largest commercial real estate developers” – a move almost bound to engender sympathy for the protesters and create new impetus for their movement.

But the future depends on clarity – and on a movement which can retain the moral power and solidarity that the Zuccotti Park encapment first sparked, all those weeks ago. As the old chant had it, “Organise, occupy, kick the bosses out!” They’ve had the occupation. But organisation? That’s much harder to predict.

Felicity Spector writes on US politics. Follow her on Twitter @felicityspector