BU war protest spurs police confrontation
Nine charged after marchers tie up Parkway traffic
VESTAL -- Nine anti-war protesters were charged Tuesday after a confrontation with police in the middle of the Vestal Parkway.
The clash occurred after a group of about 60 protesters, most Binghamton University students, marched down the the eastbound lanes of the Parkway as part of a protest marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War.
Vestal police used pepper spray on some in the crowd and later said the nine protesters had pushed some of the officers. Protesters disputed that claim, saying the officers escalated the confrontation.
The nine were charged Tuesday afternoon, either with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest or both. Eight of those charged were BU students, university officials said.
The protest began at the university, where several student groups had planned an on-campus rally to call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. At some point after the rally, members of the group made the impromptu decision to march to the Army recruiting office at University Plaza, about three-quarters of a mile east of the college. ..... see more at:
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/NEWS01/803190344/1001(Note: I spoke with a friend who attended the rally and march. She said that the students were not attempting to ignore the police orders, break any laws, or cause a confrontation. The newspaper's internet forum has a discussion area (following the article), and you can see how some of the local republican folks are attacking the students for exercising their Constitutional rights.)