Protesters disrupt McCain speech
Antiwar demonstrators heckle John McCain and disrupt his big moment at the Republican Convention.
Alex Koppelman

Sep. 05, 2008 | ST. PAUL, Minn. -- If you're at home watching John McCain's speech at the Republican Convention and wondering why he made a few odd pauses and why the crowd broke into the occasional chant of "USA! USA!" it's because a few antiwar protesters got into the hall and started heckling him during his speech.

The first hecklers were off-camera, located conveniently above the press stands. Two men, carrying banners that read "You can't win an occupation," began shouting questions for McCain. They managed to divert the attention of the press and a substantial portion of the crowd; McCain, who couldn't see what was going on from his vantage point, seemed confused. It seems as though both men have been removed, though it's hard to be sure from where I'm sitting.

Later, a second protester, this one on the floor and not far from the podium, broke into the speech, leading to more chants from McCain's supporters and more disruption of the speech. This time, McCain was able to figure out what was going on. "Please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static," he quipped, earning himself a big round of applause. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other."

Police arrest anti-war march to GOP convention
By RYAN J. FOLEY and MARTIGA LOHN Associated Press Writer

Sep 4th, 2008 | ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Police surrounded some 200 protesters Thursday night after a lengthy series of marches and sit-ins timed to coincide with Sen. John McCain's acceptance of the Republican Party's nomination for president.

Caught up in the clash were several reporters assigned to cover the event, including Amy Forliti and Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Officers ordered them to sit on the pavement on a bridge over Interstate 94 and to keep their hands over their heads as they were led away two at a time.

The arrests came three days after AP photographer Matt Rourke, also on assignment covering the protests, was arrested. He was released without being charged Monday after being held for several hours.

The confrontation resulted in about a dozen arrests; protesters had gone ahead with a planned march near the state Capitol even though their permit had expired.

Marchers tried to cross two different bridges leading from the Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center, where McCain was to accept his party's nomination for president. But they were stopped by lines of police in gas masks and riot gear who blocked the bridges after the marching permit expired.

A cat-and-mouse game followed as protesters moved around the Capitol area, splintered, and then organized into a marching force again. The size of the crowd varied from a high of about 1,000 down to a hundred and back to around 500.

About three hours into the standoff, about 300 protesters sat down on a major thoroughfare and police closed the four-lane boulevard. Officers then set off smoke bombs and fired seven percussion grenades, causing protesters to scatter.

A spokesman at an information center set up during the convention said the number of arrests would likely increase as people were processed.

Some of the scattering protesters entered a residential area north of the Capitol. Later, at least three smoke bombs were discharged in the area of apartments and houses.

About two hours into the standoff, police began arresting a handful of people even as the crowd dwindled from around 1,000 to around a hundred.

"The important thing is even though we didn't have a permit to march, people have decided they want to keep protesting despite all these riot police," said Meredith Aby, a member of the Anti-War Committee.

Even as protesters were being arrested, the mood was much more relaxed than earlier in the week. It even turned festive at times.

Younger people did cartwheels. Tourists came by to check out the spectacle. The chants, which were political at the outset, turned silly a couple hours in.

"You're sexy, you're cute, take off the riot suit," protesters serenaded those blocking their path.

Brandon Thorson didn't find much to joke about. The 23-year-old factory worker from Minneapolis said he just wanted to go home — but he tried to do it through police lines.

"One officer used his club to push me away and another officer hit me in the back with his club," Thorson said. "A third officer came in and sprayed me right in the face."

Minutes after the skirmish, Thorson's right eye was nearly swollen shut from the pepper spray. He was not arrested.

"This is a fascist military style occupation of the city of St. Paul," Thorson said. "Just because the Republicans are in town doesn't mean they can turn our city into a battlefront."

More than 400 people have been arrested in the past week, most on Monday, when violence broke out at the end of another anti-war march.

The Anti-War Committee, which organized Thursday's march, urged others to join in and denounced the increased presence of police in riot gear and acts of "intimidation" in the city.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty blamed the week's violence on a small group of "anarchists, nihilists, and goofballs who want to break stuff and hurt people."

"They need to be dealt with," Pawlenty said in a radio interview with WCCO-AM of Minneapolis.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday to recover leaflets seized during police raids, claiming a violation of First Amendment rights because protesters haven't been able to distribute the flyers.

Well, get as upset for the local police department for arresting some protesters (who don't have anything better to do) for acting like morons....

Just don't try and tie it to some conservative defficiency.

seekingtruth said:

Most of those people are idiots and probably don't vote for any party anyway... just a bunch of troublemakers imho. They probably don't identify with either candidate....

CliffClaven said:

especially the journalists who got detained and the guy who got pepper sprayed because he had just gotten off work and had the audacity to want to go home. who do these people think they are?

CliffClaven said:

especially the journalists who got detained and the guy who got pepper sprayed because he had just gotten off work and had the audacity to want to go home. who do these people think they are?

Anxiety said:

I hadn't heard about that so I can't comment. If that's the case, that's crappy as hell. If I was the reporter, I'd be pissed. I've seen a couple of (probably cherrypicked) videos and certain scenes look like the small scuffles can get pretty crazy. I just can't see a cop knowingly peppery spraying someone who he didn't "think" wasn't part of the crowd... if what you say is true, and i have no reason to doubt it, there must have been SOME reason the cop pepper sprayed him individually. If not, the cop should be fired.

Anxiety said:

Seriously idiot troublemakers

CliffClaven said:

both incidents are detailed in the article i posted earlier in this thread.

hecklers...well I would have liked to not see that. It paints us as a bunch of shitheads that start shit. I hate that there was so much chaos and upheaval.

Yeah, the RNC is full of shit, but let them have their time. They let the DNC do their thing. But I'd imagine it was much not needed hype and over sensitivity by law enforcement as well.

CliffClaven said:

both incidents are detailed in the article i posted earlier in this thread.

I just got to the end of the speech to the balloon drop and they were playing "Barracuda"!!!

I thought I was playing GUITAR HERO!!!!

CliffClaven said:

both incidents are detailed in the article i posted earlier in this thread.

I'm wondering what was going on the other night when Sara Palin was giving her speech. Right after she made one of her first jabs at Obama, the camera went to some men rushing a woman out of the back of the venue. Was she a heckler?