ST. PAUL - With Hurricane Gustav leading Republican National Convention organizers to drastically scale back today's activities, the biggest story of the day could be the protesters outside Xcel Energy Center, not the convention inside.
Thousands of war protesters and activists were scheduled to rally outside the State Capitol this morning before marching downtown to near the Xcel Energy Center before returning to the Capitol. Organizers of the Coalition to March on the RNC said since they are part of a police-permitted march, they did not expect their participants to engage in civil disobedience or criminal activity, but said other activists might.
A protest Sunday led by Veterans for Peace resulted in nine arrests. Police in riot gear made the arrests for trespassing. Two of those arrested are women in their 70s, one of them a nun.
Anti-war activists will maintain a presence throughout the convention.
On Tuesday, they will display boots representing Iraqi war soldier deaths, including some boot pairs worn by killed U.S. troops. Another march near the Xcel Energy Center is planned for Thursday, when Sen. John McCain is scheduled to accept the GOP presidential nomination.
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State Capitol reporters are blogging from the Republican National Convention at www.areavoices.com/CapitolChat .
