St. Paul, MN – On September 4, the final day of the RNC, 2,000 protesters took to the streets here to deliver a militant anti-war message. The march was organized by the Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee, with the theme “No Peace for the Warmakers.”

The march was supposed to go to the Xcel Center, to show dissent while McCain was speaking. Instead, riot police declared the march an 'unlawful assembly' and blocked every road leading toward the Xcel Center. This is despite repeated pre-RNC assurances that there would be a 'public viewing area' right outside the Xcel Center where anyone could observe or express themselves during the RNC, which they claimed would be open to anyone until 11:00 pm daily.

Despite repeated police provocations and attempts to disperse the protest, the marchers stayed together and stayed in the streets for over three hours until McCain was speaking after 9:00 pm. The march ended in teargassing and the mass arrest of 396 people, while McCain was speaking inside the Xcel Center. The following video captures much of the spirit of the march, which was the final protest during the RNC.

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