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F15 protester punches police horse { February 16 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/54539.htmhttp://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/54539.htm
WHEN DOVES CRY: DOZENS BUSTED IN ANTI-WAR PROTESTS
By LEONARD GREENE, MARIANNE GARVEY and SARAH GILBERT
February 16, 2003 --
The worldwide battle for peace hit New York yesterday, as hundreds of thousands of anti-war demonstrators crowded the streets to deliver a one-word message to a nation on the brink of combat: "No."
The mostly peaceful protesters clogged the avenues from the East Side to the Theater District - although several clashes were reported with cops who desperately tried to contain the anti-war masses.
Organizers estimated the crowd at anywhere from 375,000 to 500,000, well over the official police figure of 100,000.
It was one of many rallies around the world yesterday. More than a million people came out in Rome and London to protest the impending war in Iraq.
Eight cops were injured during confrontations with protesters here. One officer was kicked in the head and a deputy inspector was punched in the face, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said.
A police horse was hurt when a protester punched it in the face and dragged it to the ground by its reigns, Kelly added. The horse, Boots, and the riding officer suffered minor injuries.
Cops reported 50 arrests by 5 p.m., but lawyers for the protesters say as many as 400 people were locked up.
Last night, at least 100 handcuffed protesters sat in four buses parked outside Police Headquarters waiting to be processed.
"We did nothing to aggravate them," John Poll, 24, told The Post from one of the buses.
Many marchers were upset because they couldn't get closer to the poets, preachers and playwrights blasting the Bush administration in speeches on First Avenue near the United Nations.
The overflow crowds caused traffic tie-ups as far west as Seventh Avenue and forced closure of the 59th Street Bridge.
More than 5,000 on-duty cops, who used radiation detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs, were assigned to control the rally participants, who braved the frigid weather.
"My hands are really cold," said legendary singer-guitarist Richie Havens, who performed "Freedom," the song he sang at the historic Woodstock festival 34 years ago. "But that's not going to stop me."
Some spoke of Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil-rights leader, who delivered a major address on the Vietnam War at Riverside Church on April 4, 1967.
King's son, Martin Luther King III, said yesterday: "Just because you have the biggest gun does not mean you must use it."
Additional reporting by Erika Martinez, Tatiana Deligiannakis and Eric Lenkowitz.
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