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Filipino Protesters Storm US Embassy
AP via ABC News ^ | Dec 2, 2007

Posted on 12/02/2007 12:28:54 AM PST by james500

About two dozen protesters angry over a rape case involving a Marine stormed the American Embassy on Sunday, hitting a U.S. government seal on the gate with fists and a brick before surprised policemen pushed them away, police and witnesses said.

The protesters demanded the transfer to a Philippine jail of Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, who was convicted a year ago of raping a Filipino woman but has remained under U.S. government custody and detained at the heavily fortified embassy.

Taking advantage of the absence of policemen, who usually stand guard outside the embassy, the protesters ran toward the gates and used their fists and a red brick to pound the bronze seal, an Associated Press photographer at the scene said.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: danielsmith; embassy; marine; philippines; usembassy; yellowjournalism
Not as dramatic as the headline had me believe.
1 posted on 12/02/2007 12:28:55 AM PST by james500
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To: james500

they’re doing what they can to ‘document the unrest’ around the world.

personally, when we are down to a couple dozen protesters in a whole country.. i’m pretty freaking happy


2 posted on 12/02/2007 12:47:35 AM PST by sten
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To: sten

Reminds me of when I was working down in Panama in ‘01, and there was a group of seven college students who decided to protest and throw a few rocks at the US embassy. My father called me and asked me if I was “alright” because he had heard that a “mob” had attacked our embassy.


3 posted on 12/02/2007 12:55:22 AM PST by Clemenza (Rudy Giuliani, like Pesto and Seattle, belongs in the scrap heap of '90s Culture)
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To: james500

In the 1990s, I had a trip to Mexico City. Our embassy there was guarded by about 50 to 100 Mexican Military with machine guns... Sounds like a pretty tame country (the Philipines) by comparison...


4 posted on 12/02/2007 12:55:49 AM PST by topher (Let us return to old-fashioned morality - morality that has stood the test of time...)
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To: james500

It would seem the left-wing activists and womens groups would have their hands full with the Islamic terrorists all over the Philippines. I have to wonder how much of this is seeking justice and how much is “hate America, get on TV” BS.

If the Marine did it, then he deserves what he gets. He has appealed so they need to let the courts take care of it. Why do Americans never storm anything? 9000 Americans are killed by illegals each year. Anyone remember hearing the Chinese or Mexican Embassies were stormed by Americans? Yeah, me neither.


5 posted on 12/02/2007 1:02:35 AM PST by WildcatClan (Duncan Hunter, the real deal, the only deal for Conservative Americans)
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To: james500

How can a few protesters storm one of our embassies? Who disarmed the Marines that that should have blown their heads off?


6 posted on 12/02/2007 1:05:29 AM PST by DemEater
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To: james500

This is what it means to “storm” something?


7 posted on 12/02/2007 1:32:27 AM PST by John Leland 1789
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To: james500

Same bunch of malcontents you will find everywhere... a dozen people out of a city of over 10 million... YAWN


8 posted on 12/02/2007 4:45:33 AM PST by ikka
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To: james500
IF it was a rape ...Truly Dishonorable...Disrespectful to the Philippines, a country near and dear to the United States...The soldier claimed consensual sex and has appealed the conviction. Philippines courts should provide a fair process. The Philippines justice system was modeled after the US during its National Development. The Philippines government agreed to detention at the Embassy during the appeal. The protesters have no basis for ire at the Embassy

...Smith was convicted by a suburban Manila court last year of raping a Filipino woman in a van as fellow Marines cheered him on. The court sentenced him to 40 years in prison for the crime, alleged to have been committed while he was on a break after joining military exercises north of Manila.

Smith, from St. Louis, claimed that the sex was consensual and appealed the court ruling....

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government agreed to allow Smith to be detained at the U.S. Embassy while appealing his conviction, angering women's groups and left-wing activists.

9 posted on 12/02/2007 5:38:28 AM PST by ricks_place
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To: DemEater

The Marine Security Guards are primarily responsible for internal security. The Embassy hires contract guards for perimeter security who work in coordination with whatever security is provided by the host government. Both the MSGs and the contract guards work under the State Department’s Regional Security Officer. The rules of engagement for use of force by MSGs is very limited. They certainly don’t go blowing people’s heads off who throw rocks against the perimeter fence.


10 posted on 12/02/2007 5:47:19 AM PST by kabar
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To: james500
At the risk of being pummeled......raping a Filipino makes as much sense as taking sand to the beach....
11 posted on 12/02/2007 7:31:07 AM PST by river rat (Semper Fi - You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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