Posted on 08/24/2004 4:48:17 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK (AP) - Anti-war activists planning a major demonstration on the eve of the Republican National Convention said Tuesday they will cancel a rally if they are denied permission to hold it in Central Park.
The anti-war group, United for Peace and Justice, and city lawyers met for a hearing before state Supreme Court Justice Jacqueline Silbermann, who is considering whether the expected crowd of 250,000 people can assemble in the park on Sunday for a rally that the city argues would ruin the grass.
The rally, featuring several speakers and an afternoon of programs, would follow a march past Madison Square Garden, the convention site. The march would still take place, the group's leader said in court.
"We are planning to march, but we have come to the conclusion that if we can't have the rally in Central Park, at this stage, we won't have the rally," Leslie Cagan said.
While many activists are planning events without city permits, and thereby risking arrest, United for Peace and Justice has been determined to secure permits for its demonstration in the hopes that more people, including families, would feel comfortable attending.
Regardless of the judge's decision, which is expected Wednesday, large groups of protesters are expected to flock to Central Park on Sunday - partly in defiance of the permit standoff with city officials, but also because the ongoing battle has caused confusion about the plans for the demonstration.
"At this point, there can be no winner, no matter what happens," city lawyer Jonathan Pines said outside court.
Officials are quietly making plans to police spontaneous protests in Central Park on the eve of the convention, expecting thousands of demonstrators to converge on the park.
No doubt the major networks will devote prime-time coverage for these malcontent, misguided misfits.
A-W Protesters 0
:-)
A statue of Abraham Lincoln hovers over the shoulder of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., as he gives an address during a campaign appearance in the Great Hall at Cooper Union Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2004, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
The Republican Convention will be the best ever! The RNC is the story, not the so-called protests and demonstrations. The real deal is inside Madison Square Garden.
" they will cancel a rally if they are denied permission to hold it in Central Park."
BOOHOO!
I hope they won't get the permit.
It would be a major securityissue, if they did.
And this is a bad thing?
I hope the protesters get a lot of media coverage. The more people that see those idiots for what they are and see how far off the deep end the left really is, the better.
No doubt, now they won't even have the march... ;-)
don't bet the house on it. ;)
a knot on the head is a badge of honor for these whacks.
Either this group is lying about not having the rally in Central Park, and plan to show up there Sunday and take over, or the Kerry campaign has prevailed on them not to do this, because they think it will make them look bad..
So let me get this straight: Republicans protesting the Democratic convention were housed in cages, but socialists are insisting they be able to have their protests in beautiful Central Park? Unbelievable.
Print out and wear as a Campaign Button or go HERE to print.
I suppose you're right. The more middle Americans see of the whacko fringe leftists, the better. They certainly won't be able to relate to folks using common sense. Guess I was having one of those glass half empty moments after watching the news networks continue blaming Bush for the Swift Boater's ads. Never mind that they continue to report a lie a minute from the Kerry campaign!!!!!!
The photo (ch)op president :-|
Democratic presidential nominee U.S. Senator John Kerry (news - web sites) (D-MA) speaks in front of a large statue of Benjamin Franklin at a fund-raising event at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 24, 2004. REUTERS/Brian Snyder US ELECTION
Notice the change in Kerry's face since his last Botox/teensy facelift minivacation? No more tire ruts in his forehead, his eyebrows are no longer falling into his soup. Trouble is, he has to keep this up every six months or gravity wins.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.