Hundreds of Occupy protesters rally at US Capitol

Several hundred demonstrators with the Occupy movement rallied outside the US Capitol building on Tuesday to denounce what they called the influence of money in Congress.

"It's important to let people know we're not going to take it anymore. People are really mad about the way things are going and we want Congress to understand that," said protester James Cullen, 30, an unemployed social worker from Greenbelt, Maryland.

The demonstrators were part of a movement that started with the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York last year and spread to some other US cities.

The protesters gathered on a lawn outside the Capitol to greet members of Congress returning from a holiday break with a day of rallies and protests they said would include attempts to occupy lawmakers' offices.

They carried signs saying, "Face it liberals, the Dems sold us out," "Congress for sale" and "Banksters of America."

The morning demonstration was generally peaceful. Police said one protester was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

"Corporations and government have been so inextricably linked that it's not a true democracy anymore, and people have to realize that," said David, 16, a high school student from New Haven, Connecticut, who gave only his first name.