Hundreds of people from across the US demonstrated in Washington Tuesday for jobs and stronger social security by converging on the offices of US lawmakers in Congress.
The action, by activists from unions and other organizations, was dubbed "Take Back the Capitol" and passed off peacefully.
Small groups of protesters, who came from as far away as Florida, Kansas and Wisconsin, entered office buildings around the domed Capitol building, saying they wanted to see their elected representatives.
"You were elected to represent us, do your job!" they yelled.
John Reat, a 62-year-old unemployed information technology manager, said he came from Ohio to put his demands directly to John Boehner, Republican speaker of the House of Representatives.
Reat said he wanted to see Congress "pass the jobs bill, to increase the taxes on the 1 percent corporations or individuals, no cuts on social security or Medicare. That's what we all are requesting."
Reat said that once someone lost his job and health insurance it took only a "health incident (to)... wipe out their savings and boom, they lose their home. It's just not right that to lose a job is so punitive."
However, protesters only got as far as the entrances to the offices and corridors outside, where they were informed by aides that the politicians were absent or unavailable.
At the office of Republican Paul Ryan, for example, protesters were informed they should have filled out a request form for a meeting.
AFP