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http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/D.C._war_protest/2007/09/16/33110.html
War Protestors March, Clash with D.C. Police
Sunday, September 16, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through
downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the
Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested.
The group marched from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to
the Iraq war. Their numbers stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue,
and they held banners and signs and chanted, "What do we want? Troops out.
When do we want it? Now."
Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of
Iraq veterans in attendance.
"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq.
"We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s
who are against this war."
Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were
some heated shouting matches between the two sides.
The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they
called a "die in" - with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers
killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started
climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.
Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high
barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted
to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray.
Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."
The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than
previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested
at a protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked onto a bridge
that had been closed off to accommodate the demonstration, then refused to
leave. And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street
near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.
The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette
Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's
impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other
groups.
Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people attended the rally and
march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own
estimate. A permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER Coalition
had projected 10,000.
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.
"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she
said. "It's time to shut this city down."
About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters gathered near the
Washington Monument, frequently erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving
American flags.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, speaking from a stage to
crowds clad in camouflage, American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson
jackets, said he wanted to send three messages.
"Congress, quit playing games with our troops. Terrorists, we will find you
and kill you," he said. "And to our troops, we're here for you, and we
support you."
War Protestors March, Clash with D.C. Police
Sunday, September 16, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through
downtown Washington on Saturday, clashing with police at the foot of the
Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested.
The group marched from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to
the Iraq war. Their numbers stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue,
and they held banners and signs and chanted, "What do we want? Troops out.
When do we want it? Now."
Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of
Iraq veterans in attendance.
"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq.
"We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s
who are against this war."
Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were
some heated shouting matches between the two sides.
The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they
called a "die in" - with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers
killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started
climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.
Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high
barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted
to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray.
Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."
The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than
previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested
at a protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked onto a bridge
that had been closed off to accommodate the demonstration, then refused to
leave. And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street
near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.
The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette
Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's
impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other
groups.
Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people attended the rally and
march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own
estimate. A permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER Coalition
had projected 10,000.
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.
"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she
said. "It's time to shut this city down."
About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters gathered near the
Washington Monument, frequently erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving
American flags.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, speaking from a stage to
crowds clad in camouflage, American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson
jackets, said he wanted to send three messages.
"Congress, quit playing games with our troops. Terrorists, we will find you
and kill you," he said. "And to our troops, we're here for you, and we
support you."
