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Police break up anti-war meeting
in Washington
AFP
Friday September 7, 2007
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.
(Article continues below)
The ANSWER coalition is trying to rally support for an anti-war
demonstration in Washington that is due to take place on September
15.
Last month, the movement was threatened with a fine of at least
10,000 dollars unless it removed posters in the city announcing
the September 15 march.
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."
"This strategy of suppression has not worked. We expect
many tens of thousands of people" in Washington for the September
15 anti-war demonstration, he said.
The march has been timed to coincide with the release of a report
by the US military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus,
and will be part of a week of protests led by veterans of the
Iraq war.
A petition calling for the impeachment of President George W.
Bush, allegedly carrying one million signatures and endorsed by
former US attorney general Ramsey Clark, will also be submitted
to officials during the week's activities, ANSWER has told AFP.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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