Civil Disobedience: anti-war activists plan to disrupt daily activities if war breaks out

San Jose Mercury News ^ | 2-25-2003 | Dana Hull

[EvilOverlord]

Civil disobedience ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS PLAN TO DISRUPT DAILY ACTIVITIES IF WAR BREAKS OUT By Dana Hull Mercury News

More photos (EUGENE H. LOUIE / MERCURY NEWS )

Malcolm Moore, 45, Tristen Schmidt, 36, Amy Champlin, 32, practice non-violent protest tactics in Berkeley.

If U.S.-led forces attack Iraq, anti-war activists in the Bay Area and around the world have ``emergency response'' plans to immediately blockade federal buildings, shut down commuting arteries and disrupt the financial districts of major cities with massive protests and non-violent civil disobedience.

Many organizers have kept their intentions under wraps so that police and officials at U.S. military bases and large corporations will be caught off-guard. But drafts of some plans have already appeared on Web sites, and intensive training sessions covering everything from ``non-violent blockades'' to ``jail solidarity'' tactics are under way.

Civil disobedience implies the refusal to obey certain laws, and has a long history in the United States and abroad. But protest tactics have evolved in recent years, aided by the coordinating powers of the Internet and by strategic tactics designed to foil police.

Instead of staging docile sit-ins, some demonstrators now link hands by putting their arms through pipes and handcuffing their wrists together. Anti-globalization activists have developed attention-getting stunts such as scaling buildings.

[EvilOverlord]

Blockading commute arteries, disrupting the financial district, and interfere with military activities

It sounds pretty close to treason even in peace time. It's an organized attack on the US economy and ability to wage war, from within.

[DAnconia55]

Arrest them.

[KC_Conspirator]

This is acting on behalf of Saddam Hussein and its treason. Arrest them and put them away.

[conservativecorner]

They will probably get their asses stomped in the process. Serves em' right!! (Done with vent)

[HELLRAISER II]

Maybe Pres. Bush will just give us permission to run over treasonous terrorists/peace activists and then we'll just throw them in the pet cemetary along with the rest of the road kill.

[AmericanInTokyo]

(Addressed, here, to the disruptors)

Fine. Bring it. Bring it on.

These little whimps soon forget the beating their predecessors took on Wall Street by angry, pro-American hard hat salt-of-the-earth patriots during 'Nam.

There will be a lot of delicious knuckle sandwiches served, IMHO, if any of these 'peace' (anti-Bush) demonstrators so much as block one inch of a federal building for people trying to conduct legitimate business there.

For the inheritors of America from General George Washington, he would have it no other way.

[brewcrew]

They are not anti-war. They are anti-American.

[Spruce]

Exactly,
when "non-violent civil disobedience" meets with "violent civil obedience", guess which side loses?

[Lost Highway]

If U.S.-led forces attack Iraq, anti-war activists in the Bay Area and around the world have ``emergency response'' plans to immediately blockade federal buildings, shut down commuting arteries and disrupt the financial districts of major cities with massive protests and non-violent civil disobedience.

Oh, now that will sway public opinion to their side.

[MizSterious]

"Arrest them."

...and then send them to Iraq to be "human shields." If one of our bombs hits them, well, two birds with one stone...

[anymouse]

Sabotage during war time can be hazardous for the healt of those caught doing it. Conspiracy to do same is also a one way ticket to the big house.

Maybe we should just turn Berkeley into a great big internment camp for leftist agitators. :)

[Doctor Stochastic]

No problem put your SUV in 4 wheel drive and go right over them.

Another Lizzie Grubman supporter!

[CasearianDaoist]

They are a small minority, They designed Nukes at Berkeley for most of the cold war. Berkeley manages Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandina National Labs.

[Stultis]

Conspiracy to do same

Indeed. Wouldn't hurt to run a few of the ringleaders through the Federal prison system before the ballon goes up.

[davisdoug]

I have a 60 mile commute each way in the Bay Area. These clowns even inconvenience me in the slightest way there will be hell to pay. The other day they erected some structure on a bridge in Seattle. The picture was halarious. Bunches of motorists just standing there. Why they did not throw the thing over the bridge (and the protestors) is beyond me.