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I would disagree with that. War protesters have been historically as violent as the violence they are protesting. Goes to that whole hypocrisy thing.
Philadelphia police accuse protest leaders of directing violence, property damage
August 5, 2000
Web posted at: 12:37 PM EDT (1637 GMT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Displaying gasoline-soaked rags tied to chains and other items seized from protesters, police accused several prominent activists of orchestrating violence and property damage during the Republican National Convention.
Police Commissioner John Timoney said the items, including piano wire and a three-person rubber slingshot, were intended to hurt officers during the convention.
"There's a cadre, if you will, of criminal conspirators who are about the business of planning conspiracies to go in and cause mayhem and cause property damage and cause violence in major cities in America that have large conventions or large numbers of people coming in for one reason or another," Timoney said Friday.
Police would not identify the people they considered the lead organizers of the sometimes violent demonstrations, beyond saying they were assigned the highest bails.
Prosecutors said bail was set at $1 million each for two people: John Sellers, 33, a leader of the Berkeley, California-based Ruckus Society, and Kate Sorensen, a leader of Philadelphia Direct Action Group. A third person was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Others in custody included leaders of Philadelphia ACT UP, the nation's largest chapter of the national AIDS advocacy group.
Activists dismissed the accusations., which were somewhat surprising because the groups have been acclaimed for inspiring nonviolent activism that has resulted in large, mostly peaceful demonstrations.
"There's no way for one organization or one individual to be accountable for the actions of everyone else," said Celia Alario, one of dozens of people with the Ruckus Society who helped train demonstrators before the Philadelphia convention.
Philadelphia ACT UP, Ruckus and the Direct Action Network were involved in training and organizing in two large demonstrations -- in Seattle last fall, and in Washington in April. Both were marred by hundreds of arrests and property damage that had been blamed on masked anarchists.
At the convention in Philadelphia, police said, gasoline-soaked rags tied to chains and a three-person rubber slingshot seized from protesters were similar to ones used in Seattle. The piano wire, police said, was to be used to string across streets and trip up police horses.
Police said 390 people have been arrested since Saturday, including 39 charged with felonies. More than 300 people were arrested Tuesday during sometimes-violent brawls with police and several traffic-blocking demonstrations.
Sellers, of the Ruckus Society, was jailed for misdemeanors including conspiracy and reckless endangerment. Terrence McGuckin, a leader of Philadelphia ACT UP, was being held on $500,000 bail for numerous misdemeanors. Sorensen, 34, was expected to face similar charges.
Defense lawyer Lawrence Krasner, who represents 10 jailed activists, said many of the protesters were held on unreasonably high bail to keep them in jail until the convention ended Thursday night.
"It's an unconscionable, ridiculous bail and completely off the map from the norm," Krasner said. "This is a desperate effort to systematically punish these people without a trial, to lock them up, keep them off the streets."
Many of the released protesters have complained police denied them food for up to 24 hours, denied injured activists medical treatment and crowded up to nine people into cells built for two. Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union visited the detention areas and said there appeared to be no violations.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/05/convention.protests.ap/index.html
Yeah, this huge rally was ALL over the major networks! 100 pro-war protestors show up to protest the anti-war protestors(who had a 10000 person protest in DC). They really showed them they mean business. (sarcasm off)
Maybe if you got your news from news networks/papers and not far right wing homepages, then you wouldn't look so foolish.
Bad rep coming in 3...2...1....
You asked for examples of violent protesting.
I provided an example of such. What they were protesting is not validation for violence
They are on national news every time they do a rally, I know because I did an interview for Fox national when they came here to Carson City since I helped plan the event.
You must have misread this thread. We were talking about anti-war protesters, and someone said they were as violent as the wars they protest. I challenged this. The comment maker has not responded yet, and you posted an irrelevant article because it has nothing to do with any anti-war protesters. Please feel free to add any relevant news articles, because I would learn something new today if you can show where anti-war protesters have ever been as violent as the wars they protest.
You've been caught flat out lying in half the threads you post in. I did a search of that rally and barely found any information at all regarding the event or any other events run by that group, which is contradictory to their claims that the major networks are covering their rallies.
The hell I have. Look at my myspace page, it has me being interviewed by Fox News. Also goto www.rgj.com another place I was interviewed I can get you a direct link if your that incompitent.
That's the first one that came to mind. There are others if you'd like me to remind you of them.
perhaps i should ask then what is the thresh hold of acceptable protester violence?
"My friend was flown into Iowa by Ron Paul to vote in the straw poll"
Can you post a link to your myspace or where you are interviewed. I do not have any desire to do your background research for you to prove that you aren't lying again.
That wasn't a lie. I will send it to you via pm.
Sweet dude! I've never been interviewed for anything on camera before. Sorry for doubting you.
I respect that you disagree, but I would like to see a few examples of this in our country. Maybe you meant the spirit of the protests have been as malicious as the wars we fight, because I doubt code pink has napalmed anyone.
Kent State?
The 4th of July, 1970 at the Lincoln Memorial comes to mind. We got tear-gassed because of protestors.
If you wish to be technical about the level of violence, no protests couldn't possible reach the level of violence the US military can. The point however, IMO, is that using violence to protest violence is about as smart as abortion clinic bombers committing murder to protest murder.
Racism grows out of fear and insecurity, people who are secure in who they are do not need to look down or up on others. They do not even classify people in that way. Nor do they fear that some imaginary way of life is changing and blame others for that change. Only the insecure need that.
Kent State? When the Ohio National Guard shot four protesters dead?
"Protesters?" It has been overwhelmingly proven that the dead civilians at Kent State were not protesters at all. One was simply on her way from one class to another. Do some research before you start calling the victims of American military violence names like "protesters", OK?
War is hell and those who choose it certainly go there.
