15 protesters arrested at presidential debate (IVAW)

A series of Iraq war protests culminated with the arrest of 15 people on disorderly conduct charges at the gates of Hofstra University. Most of those arrested were from out of state and from New York City, police said Thursday morning.

The largest crowd, about 350 people, carrying signs and shouting slogans, gathered outside the gates at 5:30 p.m. and remained for hours. Smaller groups gathered earlier on campus, in downtown Hempstead and at the Hempstead train station.

About 7:30 p.m. a scrum broke out between protesters and mounted police outside the gates when police refused to allow anti-war veterans into the debate. Mounted police pushed a group of about 200 people away from the gates, inciting some protesters to hurl obscenities at the police.

At least two people were hurt in the commotion when a police horse stepped on them, witnesses said.

Nassau police later reported that Nicholas Morgan, 24, of Washington, D.C., was the protester injured by the horse.

"Morgan sustained a fractured cheekbone when he came into contact with a Mounted Unit horse and was knocked to the ground. He was treated at Nassau University Medical Center" and released, a police report said.

Nassau Police spokesman Det. Lt. Kevin Smith said, "They were turned away from trying to enter the Hofstra's north gate. When they insisted on coming through they were placed under arrest . . . there might have been one injury. I don't believe that it was serious and he was taken to an area hospital."

Most of those arrested were expected to be released on court appearance tickets for Nov. 10, police said.

Earlier in the day, Jean Stevens of Manhattan, a spokeswoman for peace group Code Pink, said the anti-war protesters were "here to bring our message to both candidates and both parties to stop the war."

But Moe Fletcher of Island Park, whose son Jacob died in Iraq in 2003, said he came to Hofstra to "support the troops . . . and the country." Fletcher and a dozen pro-troops demonstrators got into a few shouting matches with the peace protesters, but police said their intervention was never needed.

The peace protesters were members of a patchwork of anti-war groups. Geoff Millard of Washington, D.C., a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said he favors an "immediate withdrawal" and "full benefits for returning servicemen."

At a 3 p.m. rally on Washington Street, several speakers fired up the crowd of 150 with impassioned speeches against the war. Some demonstrators held signs that said "Drive Out the Bush Regime" and "Bail Out People -- Not the Banks."

Some speakers were vaguely pro-Barack Obama, and almost all were vehemently anti-John McCain.

One speaker, Vietnam veteran Hugh Bruce of Brooklyn, said: "Both political candidates are giving us the pabulum that we should be winding down in Iraq, only to increase our involvement in Afghanistan."

Charged with disorderly conduct were Ryan Olander, 25, of Highland Park, N.J.; Paul Blasenheim, 19, of Washington, D.C.; David M. Disimino, 19, of Tacoma Park, Md.; Geoffrey Millard, 27, of Washington, D.C.; Adam Kokesh, 26, of Washington, D.C.; Kristufer Goldsmith, 20, of North Bellmore, N.Y.; James Gilligan, 18, of Philadelphia, Penn.; Nathan Peld, 28, of Syracuse, N.Y.; Jose Vasquez, 34, of Long Island City, N.Y.; Matthis Chiroux, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Marlisa Grogan, 27, of Wayne, N.J.; Michael Spinnato, 24, of Boston, Mass.; Lianne Gillouly, 21, of Boston, Mass.; Megan Day, 19, of Portchester, Mass.; Nicholas Morgan, 24, of Washington, D.C. All were released on appearance tickets returnable to First District Court, Hempstead.

In a related story, on several websites last night, IVAW members posted a "Demand" letter they sent to the media and debate moderators.

Dear Mr Schieffer,

I'm writing you today as a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War to
make clear the details of a demonstration we will be leading Oct. 15th
at Hofstra University prior to the final presidential debate and what
our demands are and will be.

We in IVAW demand that two of our members, myself and Kristofer
Goldsmith, be permitted entry to the debate and be allowed to ask each
candidate one question. If this demand is not agreed to IN FULL by 7 p.m. EST on the 15th, members of IVAW will lead a large contingent of veterans and our supporters on a NON-VIOLENT procession to the debate center and are prepared to risk arrest and/or bodily harm attempting to enter to have our voices heard. (This action will look very similar to our marches at the DNC and RNC which were widely covered in the media and on youtube, should you wish to see what's coming.)

As the economy has continued its downhill slide this election season,
the issue of Iraq has been pushed further and further away from peoples'
minds, as well the platforms of the candidates. In addition, little to
no attention has been paid this election season to the abysmal failure
of the Veterans Administration to adequately care for our returning
troops and their families and how we can work as a nation to fix this
problem.

As a result, more and more veterans are falling into debt, starving,
going homeless and killing themselves while the government REFUSES to
allocate sufficient funds for our much needed and deserved care while
simultaneously lining the pockets of the richest with $700 billion in
taxpayer (including servicemembers and veterans) money.

Such blatant betrayals of our services and sacrifices cannot go
unaddressed by IVAW, thus we will have our voices heard on the issues one way or the other, be it from inside the debate hall, or be it to a hoard of domestic and international press outside the event who have already expressed great interest in and dedication to covering our demonstration.

What yourself and the candidates must decide now, Mr. Schieffer, is
what the legacy of this debate will be. Will this be remembered as an
event where both sides of the isle and the media came together to hear from our nation's heroes, even if only for five minutes, or will the words
and promises of both candidates be forever shrouded in the image of a
host of uniformed veterans and their supporters going to jail because
these campaigns cared too little to hear from them?

Again, we are dedicated to 100% non-violence during this demonstration and will resist no arrest. However, we will NOT, I repeat, we will NOT back down, be intimidated or moved in any way shape or form until our demands are met or we are arrested.

I thank you for your time, sir, and look forward to meeting you in
person.

For honor and country,

Matthis Chiroux

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