The Trail

'IT'S A BARBARIC WAR'

Dozens of War Opponents Arrested in St. Paul Protest

St. PAUL, Minn. -- Dozens of protesters were arrested on Thursday during a protest against the war in Iraq. The campaigners originally planned to march from the state Capitol to the Xcel Energy Center, where the last day of the Republican National Convention was taking place, but did not have permits for the hundreds of activists to proceed.

After gathering at the park around the Capitol for a concert, activists tried to cross one of the several bridges leading over the freeway toward downtown St. Paul, but police and police horses blocked the route. After an hourlong sit-down on one bridge, protesters moved to block an intersection and police began making arrests. Fifty-five protesters were arrested.

"The war in Iraq has got to end," said Catherine Ashton, who lives near St. Paul. "Millions of Iraqis are suffering and hundreds of soldiers have died. We were lied to and it's a barbaric war."

She said she was appalled by the "police intimidation." "I never thought I would see this in St Paul," she added.

On Aug. 30, a 23-year-old Michigan man was charged with illegally possessing Molotov cocktails, which he allegedly intended to use at the Republican National Convention. According to an FBI affidavit, Matthew Bradley DePalma of Flint, Mich., discussed throwing napalm-filled Molotov cocktails at police officers, stating, "I will light one of those pigs on fire."

Much of the action during the week was coordinated by the RNC Welcoming Committee, which held a news conference on Thursday morning to "unmask." Its base was raided before the convention began, but members insisted it was unnecessary.

"We were watching a movie," said Brian Hokanson, one of the organizers.

He added that "he had not seen any member of the RNC Welcoming Committee commit acts of violence," and insisted that informants working for the police had been introduced to the group.

Elliott Hughes, 19, said that he had been beaten by the police after he was arrested and was subjected to homophobic slurs. "Six or seven officers came into my cell. One officer punched me in the face," he said, showing scars on his face.

-- Holly Watt