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Hillary Clinton Protest in Tampa, FL
Feb. 25, 2006















Members of St. Pete for Peace and Veterans for Peace Tampa Bay made a bold statement against politicians who support war by demonstrating against Hillary Clinton at her appearance for a Florida Democratic Party fundraiser at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel, in Tampa.  About forty demonstrators lined the street in front of the hotel holding banners and signs condemning Sen. Clinton’s vote to authorize war in Iraq, her continued support for the occupation and her refusal to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal. [For more on why we protested Sen. Clinton, click here]

Several media organizations dropped by the demonstration on their way to the fundraiser to take pictures, talk to participants and get footage (the young protestor dressed as a torture victim from Abu Gharib really grabbed the attention of the press).  Reporters were also on hand to record some of the encounters between protestors and Democratic Party supporters who came to see Hillary.  Conversations became heated at times with some attendees even mistaking the protest as a pro-Bush gathering.  Others understood the implications immediately, but still defended politicians like Hillary, Al Gore and John Kerry as being the lesser of two evils.  One demonstrator asked if those people would pick Bush over Hitler, and what the difference would be.

Many conservatives responded negatively to the anti-war message, but some republicans were surprised, quite pleasantly, that an anti-war demonstration would be held against such a popular democrat.  Overall support for the message was very strong and came from a diverse background of people.

As the reception inside the hotel wound down and media and guests began leaving demonstrators were still waiting outside for Hillary’s departure.  Eventually, the police led an empty SUV from the lobby driveway around the building to a rear entrance to pick up the senator.  About a dozen protestors followed and arrived just in time to intercept the departing convoy carrying Hillary and greet her with signs, banners and chants of, “Hillary, we know you… Your husband was a killer, too” as she was driven off in a black SUV (guess Hillary likes those things, too).

We would like to thank everyone who came out Saturday to help voice a very simple, but very important message on this election year, “We will not vote for those who vote for war.”  It was a concept that many passers-by seemed to quickly grasp.  And if people in our society who want to stop war incorporate this idea into their own set of civic values, share the principle with their friends and family, and reflect their ethics at the polls it could really make a change.  Perhaps it won’t transform the political parties, but it could empower people to reflect more deeply and to act more decisively upon their own democratic ideals.

It should also be noted that the Tampa Police on the scene were generally very professional and courteous, even in the few instances they had to do their jobs, and they allowed us full access to public areas.  It is interesting to consider why we do not get the same kind of treatment and cooperation from the police when we’re trying to protest George Bush.






St Pete for Peace
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