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June 28, 2007

Bush visit: Protesters chant, 'The troops out.'

NEWPORT -- About 200 protesters, from middle schoolers to retirees, chanted, "What do we want? The troops out!," as they converged at the Connell Highway rotary during President Bush's speech today at the Naval War College.

The group walked to the intersection with Third Street but could not go any farther, as they were met by the police and told not to block the street.

The protesters held signs, including one that said, "Bush 911 murderer scum," and another that said, "Impeach the beast." And they chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Bush and Cheney's got to go!"

They also planned to present a list of demands, which include:

-- Immediately withdraw all of the "occupying force" from Iraq.

-- Reparations for Iraq.

-- Full benefits for returning servicemen and servicewomen.

-- No military action against Iran.

At around 12:40 p.m., the group appeared to be finishing.

The president apparently never saw the protesters. They said they would have to mail the list of demands.

At least four helicopters were seen overhead at around 11 a.m., though you could not tell what kind of helicopters they were.

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from Journal staff writer Meaghan Wims

By 10:30 a.m., about three-dozens people had gathered for the protest in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Connell Highway.

Tom Padwa and his wife, Joanne DeVoe, of Warren, were among them. Members of the group East Bay Citizens for Peace, they said they believe there should be an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. They believe the United States’ Middle East policy has failed.

“We’ve destroyed their country,” Padwa said about Iraq. “The Iraqi people have no more reason to be grateful to us than a dog has to be grateful to an owner that kicks it.”

One of the organizers, Warwick resident Nicholas Schmader, is a member of the Green Party and of the Rhode Island Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice.

The group planned to walk to the nearby rotary at Connell Highway They wanted to get as close as they could to the Naval War College base, where they planned to leave their list of demands.

“We are a counter-presence to the Bush visit,” Schmader said. “Rhode Island has given Bush his lowest approval ratings. We want to be consistent with that.”

Among the protesters was Rod Driver, a former state representative who has had four runs for U.S. Congress.

Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:08 PM | Permalink

June 28, 2007

Bush visit: Protesters chant, 'The troops out.'

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