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New York City police began raiding the Occupy Wall Street encampment in Lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park early Tuesday.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's office ordered the protesters out of the park but said they would be able to return, the Associated Press reported.

The Occupy group's website carried the headline "NYPD is raiding Liberty Square," the former name of the park, while video streaming on the site showed police encountering demonstrators.

The protesters have occupied the site since Sept. 17, sparking similar encampments in cities across the nation, including a tent city on the grounds of Los Angeles City Hall.

Bloomberg's office said the protesters should "temporarily leave" the park and remove their tents and tarps, Reuters reported. The protesters said hundreds of police were mobilizing around the park and that the eviction of the demonstrators was in progress.

Police told demonstrators that the park would be "cleaned and restored," and that anyone who refused to leave would be arrested, the New York Times reported.