NEW YORK, September 2, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Protesters were arrested by police using plastic netting to coral 100 at a time Monday during the Republican National Convention. Police say over 1,000 people had been arrested by 11 p.m. Monday, many for malicious attacks on GOP delegates attending the meeting.
Protesters were arrested for spitting on delegates as they entered the convention. A 63 year-old delegate from Mississippi told the New York Post he was physically blocked from entering the convention by protesters. “I don’t mind them demonstrating, but to spit on people is unbelievable,” he told The Post, after himself being spit on. Other protests lasted long into the night with rioters setting fire to a traffic light, and throwing trash cans. One group of delegates remained in a restaurant while waiting for police to clear the street, making 40 arrests in the process. At 9 p.m., a mob blocked a bus carrying delegates from Louisiana, preventing their entrance to the convention site, Madison Square Garden. Police in large numbers attempted to quell the riot, while the mob overturned a fruit cart and began hurling fruit. There were over 100 arrests. A demonstrator, who posed as a GOP delegate, attempted to approach Vice President Dick Cheney while “[spewing] anti-war messages” before being hauled down by police. Read New York Post coverage: https://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/27901.htm tv