Police Break Up Anti-War Meeting in Washington

Source: Agence France-Presse

Police break up anti-war meeting in Washington
Thu Sep 6, 5:35 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Mounted police charged in to break up an outdoor press conference and demonstration against the Iraq war in Washington on Thursday, arresting three people, organizers and an AFP reporter said.

"The police suppressed the press conference. In the middle of the speeches, they grabbed the podium" erected in a park in front of the White House for the small gathering, Brian Becker, national organizer of the ANSWER anti-war coalition, told AFP. "Then, mounted police charged the media present to disperse them," Becker said.

The charge caused a peaceful crowd of some 20 journalists and four or five protestors to scatter in terror, an AFP correspondent at the event in Lafayette Square said. No one appeared to have been hurt. Three people -- Tina Richards, the mother of a marine who did two tours of duty in Iraq; Adam Kokesh, a leader of the Iraq Veterans Against the War group; and lawyer Ian Thompson, who is an organizer for ANSWER in Los Angeles -- were arrested, Becker said.

The ANSWER coalition is trying to rally support for an anti-war demonstration in Washington that is due to take place on September 15.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070906/pl_afp/usiraqdemo_070906213528

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Mods - technically this is over 12 hours, but apparently no one else has posted it (that I can tell) and it is an important story.

next weekend get harassed. Just for being on the street...

EVERYONE bring cameras...

That's how they caught the provocateurs in Montebello, Quebec. Gave the cops one hell of a black eye.

Every single person that is on the street in a protest, rally or vigil, without exception, should have a camera of some sort.

Some people should have decent camcorders & such to get a good high quality recording of any incidents, but every person should have a camera phone, or if you can't afford a camera phone, at least get a still camera, or even a $10 disposable camera.

But everyone should have a camera of some sort. In the LA May Day Police Riot, the cops specifically targeted people with cameras. But if everyone has a camera, and is ready to record any police misconduct for later broadcast on Youtube or Flickr, they can't get them all.

So for any law enforcement that happens to be reading this (Hi Agent Mike!) be on your best behavior. Any abuses or foulups will be broadcast, and you can't stop us.

ANSWER does a good job of ruining them all by themselves :eyes:

They use valuable TV airtime to talk about every issue under the sun but Iraq

Good grief. Move beyond that and help us end the war. Keep your eye on the prize!

According to the article it sounds like they only had 4 or 5 protesters but 20 media (good for them on the media turnout for such a small protest, BTW). Seeing ANSWER in action in the past, I wouldn't be surprised to find that of the 5 protesters, one had a sign about Iraq, one about Darfur, a "Free Mumia" sign, a legalize hemp sign, and a climate change sign.

and I know Adam Kokesh as well.

Neither is with ANSWER. They each represent other anti-war organizations who have chosen to help promote the march on Sept 15. And they both spent the night in jail because they support publicizing the march on Sept 15.

I was under the impression that it was, but after rereading it, I'm not sure. I have no issues with either Tina Richards or Adam Kokesh, but I still agree with the assessment that ANSWER itself tends to get off-point easily.

Tina and Adam are the leaders of organizations that are participating in the march. Yesterday they had a press conference regarding the posters that the city is fining ANSWER for. They were arrested for putting up posters.

so the People fall to the lowered expectations "we" have for them, hence sound-bites and ALL issues over-simplified into false dichotomies.

Everything **IS** related to everything else and that's what I like about ANSWER.

The longer that we accept the paternalistic attitude that the $o-called expert$ should exclusively define the issues for us, the longer our dependency is enabled.

And unpopular, fractuous protest organizations have free speech rights, too, last time I checked. And the war is still going on the last time I checked.

Three people got arrested when they could just stay home and watch TV, or sit on the Internet and make derogatory comments.

The last few ANSWER protests have gone very well, from what I've heard and seen.

Show me your plan of action I may join.

Gotta love these keyboard commandos.

I agree Greeby,ANSWER is quite capable of ruining things themselves. Did they have a permit?
Also what was this rally about? They are really good at mudding the waters at anti-war rallies and marches. I,and others,make a point of turning our backs when some speaker from ANSWER starts shrieking
about Israel at any of the many anti-war events I have participated in.

This wasn't ANSWER.

when "some speaker from ANSWER starts shrieking about Israel at any of the many anti-war events I have participated in"

The Israeli government's illegal occupation of the Palestinian and Syrian territories and, until recently, parts of Lebanon IS the major ongoing problem in the region called the "Middle East".

Until that little problem is resolved and the Palestinian people gain some measure of justice, freedom and a viable state, there'll continue to be problems there.

SS tactics are now an accepted part of AmeriKan life.

Screw Dems and Screw Repubs, I'm supporting someone who is passionate about OUR Constitution and the RIGHTS of WE THE PEOPLE, NOT THE CORPORATE SLOBS!


BUT WHO???????????

don't like US, the Dems....IMHO

I think the poster was referring to the politicians, not we the people, when he said screw Dems!

Sometimes you've got to read between the lines to get the correct message.

Fuck those Quislings.

paid to think what they think and paid to say what they say - on either side, because their "truths" are too easily biased by the money.

Not taking corporate money & running for President. Hey, if you want to back a third party or independent, go ahead and see if you can do any better.

:applause:

Then they will be able to tag them as terrorist

Everyone best be on their best behavior on the 15th

They'll simply infiltrate the group and have an agent provocateur throw the first rock, or encourage some others to push against the barricades, or shove one of his cop buddies, and then it can be on as far as the cops are concerned.

Because we are not leaving Iraq, unfortunately, this effort *must* be supported forthe forseeable future, hence the increased probability that what you describe WILL happen.

And things will get worse before they get better.

Reminds one of the Nixon era. Next we will see the National Guard, or Blackwater, murdering students on the college campuses.

What say you, Madame Speaker?

n/t.

In the 19-teens. They were arrested, thrown in the women's workhouse at Occoquan and tortured.

The more things change, etc.

What was the police justification for breaking up the protest? Did they not have the proper permit?

Controlling freedom isn't free.

WTF? for misdemeanors?

I've been to half a dozen protests in DC since 2001, and the DC/Capital Police have been very cool, in my experience. This is odd.

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

Don't understand why anyone was arrested.

They don't do anything productive in this society anymore - they just continue to militarize themselves and practice nothing but oppression.

I hate cops. All of them. Every video I see like the one of this incident just continues to fuel the hatred. Fuck them all.

Un-God-Damn-Believable

Is it too cynical to think that the police are simply trying to get some live practice in for their horses prior to the 15th? Why else would they charge such a small group?

. If anyone has the time - we need a list of all the unwarranted bashing of protestor-citizens. Just a fe w days ago - unwarranted treatment of the bicycle people in Minneapolis? (can't remember the name) - right out of the blue. A list is ammunition to those who haven't woken up yet - something that can be handed to them when they start to wake up or they protest your protest.

. As is becoming typical - we don't have the other side of the story on this - was a permit needed and did. they get it? Were they in the right place to do it?

AFP? Did Yahoo truncate what they wrote? Is that all they reported?

And did it come from the RNC?

I wrote RNC purposely. Are they going to have a zero tolerance policy for all their campaigning from now until??? right up to and after their convention?

If RNC wants it, HS will give it to them. Homeland Security same as the RNC as we've found out. No separation.

Just more proof that we do not have freedom of speech anymore. The constitution says nothing about a permit. If you have to ask for free speech, you don't have it.

to the city or police and find out - be prepared at the scene or at the jailhouse.

If there is a list it could include what the people arrested were charged with.

There has to be an education here - and organization. To defend against the media who are going to be told by their owners to make it look like the protestors are the bad guys and the cops the good guys who are protecting the public from protestor-terrorists.

We need this to get back at the media.

What is needed to accompany the list is something that includes what the protestors were charged with and we need to get a statement of why they used the instruments they used on the protestors.

Then, as someone said somewhere this past week - use the cameras.

We should know what the law says about confiscation of cameras.

There's definitely a new order that has come through - things are different.

Can you believe this - we are at war with our own sons and daughters everywhere who as police are at the bottom of the line of order givers?

Russ Feingold - my hero.

American citizens - now the enemy.

Enter the mercenaries.

Der Kommissar's in town. :scared:

Can't buy publicity like this.

And they were illegally posting signs. Am I the only one here that still believes in laws? Now, if they had applied for a permit and were denied, that is another story...

To have freedom of speech you must get your permit and in other cases practice that freedom in authority approved 'free speech zone'. No way should you put up posters without the authorities approving your adhesive. To challenge authority you sometimes have to challenge their laws, of course you have to be willing to suffer the consequnces until you bring about change. I believe in laws but I also appreciate those that are will to put their butts on the line and challenge those laws. I have read a number of people on DU using 'I believe in laws line'. I don't claim to be any great radical but I could read that as 'I have no trouble walking in lockstep to what the authorities tell me to do'. Authorities and those that use authoritarian tactics to control the public should always be challenge and if that means having a small political meeting in public park without a permit so be it!!!

Did I just miss that part? :)

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

"The executive reserves the power to abridge the exercise the freedom of speech and assembly if it gets in the way of our plans for world corporate domination."

Beware the small print...

and that there are no legitimate restrictions on speech whatsoever?

I fail to see anything in there about getting a permit first.

amendment?
BHN

To me that is the biggest point here. Were they singled out for what they stood for, not for the press conference with no permit or gluing signs. And I agree with post 38 on this one!

arresting people just to be arresting them....are similar to the events in the 60's and 70's....Kent State anyone? Will an event like this be the catalyst? 73% want the war to end and are against this administration....these heavy handed tactics can only result in innocent people pursuing their right to gather and protest getting hurt or killed.....


but there will be something different this time around that 73% is comprised of Democrats, Former Republicans and others....this is the difference.....

I agree take your camara's and camcorders.....keep them honest....

The brownshirts and other stormtroopers regularly broke up non-Nazi rallies in the early 1930's in Germany. After awhile there was no need to any more since no one dared organize one.

I haven't seen what the arrested were charged with.

DC is big on people getting a permit if they are going to have a large gathering. It helps the city know how much overtime they will be paying the police officers. And how much of that overtime they can recover from the Federal Government.

Overtime wouldn't even have figured in it.

Nothing that happened here justified having the police ride in on horseback and break things up, and you know it.

And temporarily putting up a few posters as a visual backdrop for the press conference.

And even YOU can't argue that either charge justifies forcible police intervention.

Stop blindly accepting the law enforcement version of events.

"Washington city authorities have said the posters had to come down because they were stuck on with adhesive that did not meet city regulations.

"At our demonstration today we were showing the media that the paste we use conforms to the rules," Becker said.

"One of our activists was making a speech when the police barged in and grabbed the podium. At that point, Tina Richards started to put up a poster, so they arrested her and two others."

FTP....