WORLD> America
Anti-war protests planned for RNC opening day
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-01 14:43

ST. PAUL, US -- Anti-war protesters said Sunday that they will still stage a massive rally as the Republican National Convention (RNC) kicks off here on Setp. 1.

The convention's scaled-back activities and a series of law enforcement raids will not force them to change the rally plan, Jess Sundin, a spokeswoman for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, told reporters.

"Plans for tomorrow's massive antiwar march are well in hand," he said, "People will not let the RNC gather in St. Paul without a loud and clear  response from us." The coalition's protest will begin at 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) with a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol building and continue with a march past the Republican convention headquarters at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Organizers have said they expect as many as 50,000 people to participate. The event comes a day after convention organizers announced that they will scale back Monday's activities because of the expected landfall of Hurricane Gustav on the Gulf Coast.

Officials said convention activities largely will be determined on a day-to-day basis as the effect of the storm and the necessary emergency response become clear. But Sundin said the coalition march has been planned for two years.

She emphasized that the protest will take place on the Labor Day, when protesters from across the country will not have to take the day off from work to participate, and that the scaled-back convention will thrust the march into an even bigger spotlight.

The protest also comes on the heels of five raids led by local law enforcement agencies this weekend that targeted members of the self-described anarchist group, the RNC Welcoming Committee. Six people were arrested as a result of the raids.

Authorities said the Welcoming Committee's plans to disrupt the convention with tactics included blockading delegate buses and injuring police officers. Officials on Sunday arrested nine protesters for trespassing during a demonstration in St. Paul.

The march is expected to be the largest protest held during the convention, which runs Monday through Thursday, but some activities already have begun.