Is "Black Bloc" hijacking Occupy Oakland? [View All]

[Lasher]

(CBS News) Peaceful protests by the Occupy Oakland movement were overshadowed this week by violent clashes between a small group of demonstrators and police. Now there's concern among the majority of protesters that their message is being hijacked. CBS News correspondent John Blackstone looks into this latest development.

It could be seen as a battle for the image of the Occupy movement. One demonstrator struggles to put out the flames of a burning barricade as others masked and dressed in black pull him away.

It wasn't the only time during a huge Occupy demonstration in Oakland this week that protesters found themselves on opposite sides. When dozens of black clad marchers began attacking a supermarket, others urged them to stop -- finally linking arms to protect the store from further destruction.

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For years, these black-clad demonstrators, known as the Black Bloc, have been showing up at marches in Europe and the U.S. Although often small in numbers, by destroying property and challenging police, they can hijack the message of otherwise peaceful protests.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57319036/is-black-bloc-hijacking-occupy-oakland/