Riot cops use tear gas on RNC protesters

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Raw Story
Wednesday, September 3 2008

A protest march at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul on Tuesday began with arrests and ended with police ordering a few dozen lingering marchers to disperse and firing tear gas and flash grenades.

For the most part, however, the march by the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign was peaceful, with about a thousand protesters under heavy police scrutiny chanting, “Our human rights are under attack. What do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Police from Ramsey County, in which the city of St. Paul is located, had previously arrested 284 people on Monday, claiming that 200 of them were “anarchists” bent on causing “damage.” The Ramsey County sheriff’s office alleges, on the basis of reports from police infiltrators, that an anarchist group is plotting to disrupt the convention by blockading bridges, kidnapping Republican delegates, and spraying urine on police.

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However, those arrested on Monday also included journalists, such as Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, and others who merely happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The ACLU has condemned the mass arrests and is calling for an investigation.

This video is from ABCNews.com, broadcast September 2, 2008.

 

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7 Responses to “Riot cops use tear gas on RNC protesters”

1. WhiteRabbit Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm

   this is what a police state looks like. coming to a neighborhood near you! viva la revolution!

   When peaceful revolution is impossible,
   Violent revolution is inevitable!!! – John F. Kennedy

2. Eat Me Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 4:28 pm

   This is again a State/federal situation. But this time the States will win because we are on the right side. Oh since cops are now under federal jurisdiction, killing them would’nt be a sin either!

3. Jeff Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm

   These hippies are disgusting and should be arrested. Left wing scum

4. andrew Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 6:44 pm

   yeah jeff can we put you in prison scumbag? with all your robocop buddies???
   george bush’s empire strikes back.

5. citizenSANE Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm

   uh oh. the trolls are here.

6. Egoigwe Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm

   Can you imagine her as Madam President??? Can you feel it! America has some very serious problems on her hands. Being president of the most powerful nation on earth is not let’s pretend but 24/7 VERY serious business. It’s not for apprentices, the luxury of learning on the job can’t exist in a nation spilling with competence.

   It is not just the insult but the mockery. It is not some democratic showing but the very absence of it. It enlivens McCain’s lack of democratic maturity and political childishness (or would you think rascality?) towards his nation, colleagues and peers, disabling that ticket. More importantly, it belittles America and is politically unbecoming.

   Just think that McCain can’t last 3 months on the job without some medical break and you’d realize how very serious this is. The chances of Palin actually becoming the president of the United States are handsomely abundant. Just think, can America after Boy George survive this?

7. trebor Says:
   September 3rd, 2008 at 10:37 pm

   Why do so many people in the ‘freest’ country have no idea what to do to effect change? We all sit here and berate each other. We squabble about minor differences that keep us from making any changes or from protecting the constitution. People should get off their butts and get out and at the absolute least protest, everyday.
   In Korea in the 1980’s their government imposed martial law and brutally oppressed the people. 100, 000 people protested and many others fought the police and the army, many died, but through their belief in democracy and determination to not sit around being lazy complaining pigs fought back and changed their political landscape leading to more freedom. This was the Gwangju uprising. This is but one of many examples of people like us who have had enough and actually did something. After change has been made, then we can all sit at our keyboards and bitch about who is right and whose god or whatever is better than whose etc. It means nothing to sit here or at any forum and whine that we don’t know what to do. “Oh the cops they are so mean and tough we are so scared to get arrested, or beat”. People around the world must think that we are whinny pansy wimps for doing nothing but complaining.
   I do not advocate violence; however, I do advocate civil disobedience. If ML King or other leaders had given up after a few sit-ins and protests, where would we be today? It takes time and effort to make change. We can’t have one or two protests and then go back to watching the TV or surfing the net. What are you personally willing to give up? At least, you should be willing to be inconvenienced for a few days and be willing to sit in jail for your beliefs, if not, nothing will change and we can all bitch about how the NWO sucks.