Police Bust Up Nearly Nude Protest

Yahoo ^ | 3/2/04

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Reuters) - Police arrested six shivering protesters on Monday after they braved cool temperatures and staged a nearly naked pillow fight outside Harvard University to promote animal rights.

The five women and one man, members of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, were arrested on criminal misdemeanor charges, said police spokesman Frank Pasquarello.

"This is nothing compared to what the animals go through," protester Karla Waples, wearing nothing but pasties to cover her nipples and a pair of panties, shouted to reporters as she was led in handcuffs to a waiting police van.

Before their arrest, the activists chanted "Love in, Fur out" as they frolicked on a mattress outside the Ivy League school. A large crowd, including several blue-collar workers, watched the protest with broad smiles across their faces.

"We thought we'd seen it all, but this is a first," said Scott Nelson, an electrician on his lunch break.

It was the latest in a string of publicity stunts by the group, whose supporters include former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson (news - web sites). Just last month, PETA members staged a topless Valentine's Day (news - web sites) protest outside luxury leather goods maker Louis Vuitton's flagship store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Monday's demonstration was not meant as a criticism of Harvard, a PETA spokesman said. Rather, it came hours before PETA Vice President Dan Mathews, among those arrested, was due to address Harvard Professor Brian Palmer's popular "Personal Choice and Global Transformation" class.

[sirshackleton]

Police arrested six shivering protesters on Monday after they braved cool temperatures and staged a nearly naked pillow fight outside Harvard University to promote animal rights.

Did they have goosedown pillows?

[lafroste]

As the only man in the group was handcuffed and lead away, he was heard to say "PETA? What's that? Since when is it a crime to join a pillow fight with five nekkid chicks?"

[martin_fierro]

[visualops]

Animals wear coats you numbnuts.

This looks like a gay pride parade float that got lost.

[Blue Screen of Death]

Good headline writer.

[RonF]

O.K., so they had on what amounted to bathing suits and staged a pillow fight to protest what they consider the mistreatment of animals. You may not agree with them, but this isn't exactly the worst thing in the world. Why even bother to arrest them? They were going to get cold and go back inside pretty soon anyway, I'd guess (Cambridge is kind of cold right now).

[RonF]

I've certainly seen wierder and more illegal stuff than this in Harvard Square.

I've done wierder and more illegal stuff than this in Harvard Square....

[GladesGuru]

Those aren't even "cellulite sweethearts" - just a couple of females with hyperactive fork syndrome, which in this case, seems to have caused severe intra-cranial adipose deposition resulting in behavioral modification.

Shouldn't such pictures have some sort of warning attached before they are posted? We wouldn't want EPA to be accusing FR of visual pollution, would we?

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

I wondered if anyone would "notice".

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

Police arrested six shivering protesters on Monday ....... The five women and one man.....

One of those four is the ugliest woman I have ever seen!!

[Made In The USA]

Wasn't this same story ocurring in Paris just recently? The picture even looks the same - is this a hoax? Are the nudists doing this "event" across various cities?

Off to have a cheeseburger, PETA stories make me hungry.

[Dacus943]

Where is a roll of Duct Tape when ya' need it!!!

[the OlLine Rebel]

Those pix are from France, not Boston.

[the OlLine Rebel]

It's public indecency. At least think of kids, if not any1 else. They only put patches on their ..ahem.. nipples? That's pushing it big time.

Altho I'm still upset if the man didn't really go all the way. Men always get away w/complete coverage!

[drhogan]

if you want to see the real pics, click on the yahoo link. somebody switched the pics.
but the real pics are nothing to get excited about.

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

Those pix are from France, not Boston.

Why ruin a good joke? :)

Note that the signs they hold say, "Fur Out, Love In". This does bring up the question of why the French protesters would protest in english and not in french??

[Stallone]

I've seen one police bust up close and personal - man, she was a real cutey!

The mind wanders...

[Pyro7480]

Here are the actual pics from the event:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demonstrator Karla Waples (L) leads other women crossing the street after being forced to abandon their spot behind the a metro stop in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 1, 2004. Police arrested six shivering protesters on Monday after they braved cool temperatures and staged a nearly naked pillow fight outside Harvard University to promote animal rights. REUTERS/Rick Friedman

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) demonstrators are told to leave Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 1 2004. Police arrested six shivering protesters after they braved cool temperatures and staged a nearly naked pillow fight outside Harvard University to promote animal rights. Photo by Stringer/Usa/Reuters

[Hemingway's Ghost]

You've got to love these PETA weirdos. Guaranteed the overwhelming majority of people who witness these nearly nude protests are there to get a kick over the nudity, completely ignore the stupid "message," and go on home in their leather-interior SUVs to a nice steak dinner.