Police in New York arrested more than 200 anti-capitalist protesters on Thursday during a rally to mark the two-month anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Police were able to prevent the smaller than expected crowd from disrupting the city's financial district early in the day. But the crowd eventually grew to several thousand when union workers joined an evening march over New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

Although the protests were mostly peaceful, authorities said seven police officers were injured during clashes between demonstrators and police.

The mass demonstration took place two days after the city evicted protesters from lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park, where the movement began in September with a small group of people protesting economic inequality and corporate greed.

The protesters were later allowed to return to the square, but were prohibited from camping overnight.

The New York protests were part of a global “Day of Action” that saw similar demonstrations in Los Angeles, California and Portland, Oregon, as well as other major U.S. cities.

Occupy Wall Street activists have vowed to continue the movement, despite the colder weather and increased instances of forced evictions from public spaces.

Overseas, anti-capitalist demonstrators camped outside St. Paul's Cathedral in London refused to leave despite the expiration of a Thursday deadline for them to take down their tents or face legal action.

In the U.S., tension between demonstrators and local authorities has escalated as police clear protester encampments. The clearing of the Occupy camp in New York follows similar evictions in Portland, Atlanta as well as Oakland .