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PART TWO OF TWO ...
WHIMSY DOMINATES ANTI-GOP CONVENTION PROTEST
by Patrick Patterson, New York correspondent.
[Sept. 4, 2004]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
But while many protesters came to enjoy the event, others raised serious
issues.
The war in Iraq was on many
minds. One man wore a photo of his son, who he explained was a Reservist
in Iraq. He wants his son back home.
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Then there
was the "march of the 1,000 coffins," representing the American war dead
in Iraq (which is closing in on 1,000). |
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The fear of government crackdown
was on many minds leading up to the protest. Rumors had it that agent
provocateurs might instigate violence to offer the police an excuse
to crack down.
One man's sign warned protesters
against such government moles. But another man was proud to call
himself a "crazed anarchist." |
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* Communist Presence
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While
most protesters were certainly not Communists, there was a surprisingly
large, visible, and active Communist presence at the protest. Every
few blocks up Seventh Avenue were rows of stacks of newspapers from one
competing Marxist group or other.
Papers given to the Investigator
include the Militant (Socialist Workers Party), People's Weekly
World (Communist Party, USA), Workers
World (Workers World Party), Challenge (Revolutionary Communist Progressive Labor Party), and Revolutionary
Worker (Revolutionary Communist Party). |
It is unlikely Klansmen
or Nazis against Bush would have been welcomed at the protest. But
no one appeared visibly upset by the Communist presence. Perhaps
the reds were simply shrugged off as irrelevant?
Even so, while many patriotic
non-Communists (libertarians,
conservatives, and liberals) oppose Bush's war policies, all seemed to
lack the money and organization of the Communists. |
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That Communists have so
much money is curious. One wonders: Who are the deep pockets funding
them?
In addition to their freebie
papers, red flag cadres also peppered the crowd.
Yet however well organized,
the Communists themselves were victims of GOP street theater. One
man carried a CommunistsforKerry.com sign (to no one's dismay). But the website turns out to be pro-Bush. |
* GOP Defenders
Conservatives, whether for
war or peace, still have much to learn about protest etiquette. A
group of Protest Warriors assembled on 35th Street to support the GOP, yet at a quick glance their
signs seemed to support progressive causes. One had to read the fine
print to get the real message.
The Investigator asked two
Protest Warriors if they were Freepers (members of Free
Republic known to harass the Left), but neither had ever heard of Free
Republic.
An anti-GOP protester quipped,
"I didn't think anyone could oppose peace, but I guess I was wrong."
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* Christian Presence
No mass
gathering is complete without someone there to remind everyone that Jesus
saves. One apolitical group along the protest line did just that.
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But in
case anyone wondered about Jesus' politics, another group came to answer
the question: What would Jesus do?
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* Police Presence
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An extensive police presence
lined the protest route. One protester took advantage of it by spreading
agitprop among the cops.
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Moving up Seventh Avenue,
protesters reached Madison Square Garden -- site of the GOP convention
-- which was surrounded by police.
Pointing at the convention
site, protesters chanted:
"Show me what hypocrisy
looks like!
That is what hypocrisy
looks like!" |
A huge Fox
News sign loomed just north of Madison Square Garden, drawing many
boos and catcalls from protesters. |
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Shortly after 3 pm, one
or more protesters set a fire below the Fox News sign.
Protesters then had to wait
at 34th and Seventh while firemen doused the flames.
A later news report said
that 16 protesters had been arrested in the fire incident. |
But for all the fun, protesting
is messy and tiring work. Protesters often sat in the street as the
march was held up for one reason or another. By the end of the day,
they were tired -- but it was a good kind of tired. And they went
home feeling warmth and satisfaction after a hard -- but fun-filled day
-- of opposing the GOP Convention.
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END OF PART TWO. GO TO PART ONE.
Copyright 2004 by HollywoodInvestigator.com
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