Nearly 100 Occupy Boston protesters were arrested in the early morning hours of Tuesday when police began dispersing a second tent city that popped up on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, across the screet from the first tent city.
Police descended on the area where they met a line of American flag carrying veterans who tried to stand in the way of police and protesters. Officers wrestled each veteran to the ground, cable-tied them and dragged them away.
In a video shot on the scene (shown below), one protester can be heard screaming “We are veterans of the United States of America!”
Attempting to throw city friendly rhetoric into the mix Police Commissioner Ed David told WCVB 5:
“During the day a group of anarchists really started to run the protest,” while adding, “They weren’t listening to us.”
City officials say they wanted to clear the Greenway camp because a conservancy group recently planted $150,000 worth of new shrubbery in the park.
City officials say protesters were warned hours in advance to vacate the premise and were even handed written instructions to leave.
In the meantime Mayor Thomas Menino has given the nearly 1,000 protesters the option to stay at the original camp.
Here’s the video of American Veteran’s being hauled away by police:
The idea that the veteran’s were running the protest with anarchist intentions has been shot down by various onlookers who observed peaceful protesting.
Do you think police should have arrested the veterans the way they did or simply allowed them to express their first amendment rights?
