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Protesters clash at the democratic convention


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About 2,000 thousand protesters gathered at noon on the historic Boston Common, site of many of the city's most memorable demonstrations. After about two hours there, they marched about half a mile to the Fleet Center, where Democrats plan to nominate hometown candidate John Kerry for president on Wednesday.

 

Several blocks away, about 1,000 anti-abortion advocates gathered at Faneuil Hall, the historic meeting house where patriots gathered before the American Revolution, and set off on their own march to the FleetCenter.

 

The two groups crossed paths at an intersection, where demonstrators exchanged angry words with one another. Some of the anti-abortion marchers laid down in the street. They soon stood up at the request of the police and the two marches continued their separate ways following a few minutes of confusion.

 

 

About 30 state police officers wearing riot gear lined Beacon Street for the larger march, in which the throng paraded behind a banner reading ``Bring the troops home now.''

 

 

A half dozen cruisers and 18 police vans followed slowly along the parade route. A half dozen cruisers and 18 police vans followed slowly along the route. Representatives of the National Lawyers Guild and other civil libertarians also accompanied the march, wearing hats reading ``legal observer.''

 

 

The diverse crowd ranged from teenagers to war veterans. They carried flags, banners and signs reading, ``Health care, not warfare,'' and ``Veterans for Peace.''

 

 

Gloria Pacis, a graphic artist from New York City, told the audience on the Common that her son, Stephen Funk, 22, refused to serve with the military in Iraq and spent five months in a military prison for it.

 

 

``We have come here so that those trying to bring our votes come November can take a good look in our eyes and know that we won't be lied to again,'' Pacis said.

 

 

Some protesters criticized the Bush Administration and the decision to go to war in Iraq.

 

 

``How dare we go into another country and tell them how to run it, how to make it better when we cannot even better our own government?'' said Christina Densmore, 31, of Springfield, Mass. ``Our own people are dying.''

 

 

Others took issue with both Republicans and Democrats.

 

 

Fernando Suarez Del Solar, 48, said his son, Jesus Suarez Del Solar, 20, was a lance corporal and one of the first Marines killed in the Iraq war days after the U.S.-led invasion began.

 

 

``Mr. Bush lies,'' said Del Solar, of Escondido, Calif. Of the presumed Democratic nominee, he said, ``Mr. Kerry is very confused. On one side he says the war is wrong. On the other side, he says 'We need more boys in Iraq.' I do not understand.''

 

 

Citing public safety concerns, the city originally denied the anti-war protesters permission for their march. But a federal judge ruled last Thursday that it be allowed.

 

 

Eds: AP writer Ken Maguire in Boston contributed to this report.

 

 

(SUBS grafs 3-4 to correct to FleetCenter)

 

 

 

07/25/04 16:02

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Huh, i don't wanna jeapordize myself going toe to toe with the cops.

 

Those guys rock ceramic body armor, steel core batons, tear gass, vanns, etc....

 

U.S. protestors really don't have much on the ball like they do in foreign nations where stones and fire bombs are mandatory protest accessories

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They have those cages that are being called, ‘designated free speech areas' for the protesters. Has anyone else seen these? Its cement barricades with chain link fence around and over the top, literally a cage.

 

If it's called free speech in the cage, what's it called if you're outside the cage?

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''Four more years of what?'' Kerry responded pointedly to a group of President Bush's supporters who greeted him noisily at his appearance in Columbus.

 

''Four more years of jobs being lost, four more years of the deficit growing bigger and bigger? Four more years of losing our allies around the world? We know we can restore our alliances around the world and make America strong again,'' added the four-term Massachusetts senator, running even to slightly ahead of Bush in the pre-convention polls.

 

---------------------------------------------

 

HAHAHAHA. Kerry's the man. He talks shit back to those extreme-right wing conservative protestin' motherfuckers who blindly follow anything Bush says and does.

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The protest cage also has a capacity of either 1,000 or 4,000, can't remember. Either way, there are going to be a lot more protesters there than that. The cops in Boston are saying they are prepared to make 3,000 arrests "just in case they have to". Add that to the possibility of a police strike where you have cops picketing and then going on duty to watch the protesters on virtually no sleep and definitly a bad mood, and you might have a recipe for disaster.

 

Lord only knows what New York is gonna be like with the GOP convention.

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the anti abortion people are..

 

WE DONT CARE ABOUT NOT AFFORDING GAS, LIFE INSURANCE, HAVING JOB SECURITY AND KILLING OFF OUR YOUNG MEN FOR STUPID OIL AND FAMILY BASED REASONS!!! JUST AS LONG AS THEY ARENT KILLING FETUSES!!!..

 

because fetuses are more important than our economy.

 

 

 

 

 

yeee haw

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I was talking to my misguided ANSWER-rally-attending friend today, here's what he had to say about that protest:

RsenalOfImages37 (2:38:44 PM): wow man you would have turned into a repbacrat if you saw how shitty the march was yesterday

Max Arrogant (2:39:20 PM): for real?

RsenalOfImages37 (2:39:40 PM): worst one ever man

RsenalOfImages37 (2:39:45 PM): less then 5 tousand people

Max Arrogant (2:40:15 PM): what did you expect?

Max Arrogant (2:40:27 PM): it was an ANSWER rally protesting the democratic convention

RsenalOfImages37 (2:40:34 PM): and like..... i saw a preist get attacked for being agasint abortion and agasint gay marriage, i saw a group of jews get into a fist fight with a nazi, i saw a muslim get arrested for being muslim

Max Arrogant (2:40:37 PM): most people who went ot the anser rallies were democrats

RsenalOfImages37 (2:40:48 PM): yeah it sucked so bad

RsenalOfImages37 (2:40:58 PM): i am really hoping that the RNC is going to be much better

r

 

The RNC protests are going to be huge. You have to remember, Massachusetts is a very blue blue state. Boston is the second home of american liberalism. New York city is the first home. Hell will freeze before the state of new york votes red.

 

The republicans are not only having their convention in the seat of the democratic party, they're having it coincide with the anniversary of 9/11: the biggest tragedy in NYC history. I think we're in for the chicago 1968 of our times.

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Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? This is what I have done."

- Julius Caesar

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Originally posted by CRAMPS

the anti abortion people are..

 

WE DONT CARE ABOUT NOT AFFORDING GAS, LIFE INSURANCE, HAVING JOB SECURITY AND KILLING OFF OUR YOUNG MEN FOR STUPID OIL AND FAMILY BASED REASONS!!! JUST AS LONG AS THEY ARENT KILLING FETUSES!!!..

 

because fetuses are more important than our economy.

 

 

 

 

 

yeee haw

 

They should be using the fetuses for stem cell research, but no because Bush says it's not morally proper.

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