Anti-Torture Protesters Arrested In Droves Outside White House (VIDEO)

Sixty-one anti-torture protesters were arrested outside the White House on Thursday in a planned act of mass civil disobedience at the end of an event organized by Witness Against Torture and Amnesty International.

The protesters -- wearing black hoods and orange jumpsuits -- were part of a larger group of 150 that marched in a slow procession from the Capitol to Lafeyette Park across from the White House to protest the torture of detainees held in U.S. counter-terror efforts. Before the group of 61 triggered arrest by blocking the sidewalk outside the White House, speakers in Lafeyette Park demanded that the Obama administration close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and investigate and prosecute officials of the previous administration who crafted harsh interrogation policies.

"This is the 101st day of the Obama administration and Gitmo is still open. That's why we're here," said organizer Frida Berrigan to the legion of detainees. "The only way to decisively break from the Bush administration is to indict those responsible" for torture.

One protester held a sign that played on Obama's campaign slogans. It said, "The Audacity of Torture" and "The Audacity of War Crimes."

"Obama presumably has to listen to the progressive wing of his party. He certainly does risk alienating his base on this issue," said WAT spokesman Jeremy Varon to the Huffington Post.

The orange-clad protesters marched toward the White House, following military-style orders from Carmen Trotta, who was wearing camo fatigues. (Varon said Trotta does not have military background.) The protesters displaced two eighth-grade classes from Michigan posing for class pictures at the White House fence.

The arrests begin as an officer tightens the cuffs on Trotta, then everyone else. WATCH:

The protest is wrapped up as a police officer neatly folds the protesters' banner and the last members of the group are loaded into paddywagons. WATCH:

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Comments

[jordan3189]

Wonder if msnbc carried this.................probably not.

[clearthinker2008]

Why wouldn't they, they talk about torture every single day....nonstop... we are being distracted away from Health care, education, etc. This is going to work for the pugs.

[screened]

for the pugs, buy a vowel clearthinker !!! obama is bought and paid for !!!

[DNoonan]

This would have gotten more and better publicity if it were held outside Bush's house.

http://www.pufferfishblog.com/

[lornejl]

Don't you have to be pretty much a wuss if you fill out the proper forms to protest ?

[BeefyT]

What a bunch of idjits. Obama should have them all waterboarded.

[Princeton]

It's not fascism when we do it.

[nikky]

why did they not protest the people that did the torturing

[Princeton]

because Obama is standing in the way of prosecuting the torturers.

[hegdehog]

No he's not. People are being stupid. Don't you think Obama knew that stuff like this was going to happen as soon as the memos were released? Why do you think he double down on this by releasing more photos? It's because he WANTS the public to demand an investigation. He's not stupid, and he's an excellent strategist. He knew there would be outrage. In fact, he invited it. The goal was to get the investigation AND keep his hands (and the hands of fellow Democrats) clean. The demand for an investigation must come from the public or it won't happen. Obama knows this.

[hegdehog]

There are Republicans. There are Democrats. And then there are people who seriously believe that they are better, more moral and more intelligent than everyone else on the planet. Chronic whiners. They hate everyone.

[SouthPrairie]

Many of these people probably did. They just want to make sure that Obama knows where they stand, and will all of the crazy torture apologists out there and the overly content complacent majority, they are serving their country well.

We do not torture. I am appalled that my tax dollars went to that sa.dis.tic administration.

[hegdehog]

I'm glad people are protesting. That's what we need. But we also need more informed, less hysterical voices. There must be a massive grassroots effort or this will never happen. We need to get grandma and grandpa out in the streets holding signs. Otherwise the Republicans will use the investigations as a way to stir up support for their idiocy. People are easily cowed and manipulated. Need proof?

http://www.palinforamerica.com/

[clearthinker2008]

You don't think he knows? Please.

[qdog112]

Right - they should have been at the TEA PARTIES.

[Steambomb]

here is what I would like to ask those police officers. "Who is going to get mad at you if you just allow the protesters to finish their protest? Who is it that has asked you to stop this protest?" I think the answer would be very interesting.

[Dynamohum]

They were in the way of groups of grade school students SCHEDULED to take pictures in front of the White House, with a permit by the way.

[screened]

what a photo op and learning op for students !! seriously !!! - obviously, the police are not aligned with my thinking !

[jrb35]

"the group of 61 triggered arrest by blocking the sidewalk outside the White House"

Does that answer your question? You can't block public access like that.

[hegdehog]

"This is the 101st day of the Obama administration and Gitmo is still open. That's why we're here," said organizer Frida Berrigan

Of course you're right, Frida. We'll close it tomorrow. It's OK with you if we send all the detainees to your house, right?

[Foxinbox]

Yeah, treat them like human waist. Are you really defending gitmo in such a petty way? They are people, not radioactive sludge.

[hegdehog]

Alright, first of all, it's "waste"--not waist. And I think you need to study up on your literary devices. Things like irony, sarcasm, etc. What I was suggesting is that Frida Berrigan was criticizing the Obama administration in a petty way. AND the detainees.

Eric Holder just cleared 30 of them for release. Which makes me wonder what the f*ck kind of evil sh*t people like Frida Berrigan are smoking. I wonder if these people have ever been introduced to the concept of patience.

[jrb35]

And some of those people would gladly cut your throat in an instant if they had the chance.

We're waiting for your offer to have them sleep over at your house.

[mcantwell]

I believe hegdehog was being sarcastic at the notion that the protestors think that Gitmo could have been easily closed within the Presidents first 100 days.

[mcantwell]

Co-sign.

[screened]

maybe to their own houses would be a move consistent with stated ideology ? obama is a shill !!

[hegdehog]

"obama is a shill !!"

What does that even mean?

[realist4Obama]

61 people is not exactly a "drove". Stop exagerating.

[hegdehog]

Excess and exaggeration are the hallmark of the American media. Hackery is alive and well.

[screened]

that any sort of demonstration regarding prosecuting criminals would be considered reflects the disingenuity of the obama admin -
was the law broken ? -
btw, why are we in iraq or af.ghn.istan ? --
nobody's asking anymore. what do you think of that ?
our thinking and discussion is controlled by the media !!!

[KayDGee]

Controlled by the media? Well, in your case, that would be FOX. This mantra is getting a little old... maybe Sean or Bill can come up with something a little fresher.

[screened]

was the law broken ? obviously -
you did not answer any of the questions that i proposed -
why is nobody asking why we are still in iraq, and sending more troops to af.ghan.istan, and courageously bombing civilians in pakistan via dr.ones ?

[screened]

cannot resist ---
i must point out that your response to a sentence in which i used the phrase "controlled by the media" prompted you to react in the exact way that someone who is "controlled by the media" would react - namely, to assume that my thinking was aligned with that of Fox's and the conservative machine in general -- they have saturated the media with the idea that any media besides them, i guess, is liberally biased - that this "liberal" media controls the majority of the media, so that overall, the media is liberally biased - this is what Fox is saying ----
so, now, i use the phrase "controlled by the media" and you immediately associate me with Fox. do you see the genius of that ? they have established that "controlled by the media" implies or means that a person using that phrase is aligned with Fox and this whole liberal media notion - so, now that becomes the discussion - is the media too liberal, or i am now a conservative by association - and eliminates the discussion of truly being manipulated by the media - which is obviously conservative -- and which is demonstrably effective, as i have just done !!! --
thanks.

[protagonia]

It would not be better under McCain.

[screened]

my point - probably the same - do you recall any republicans admonishing obamas foreign policy ? do you not find that odd ?

[Princeton]

At least we would know who we're dealing with. The way it is now we gave money and votes to Obama and got McCain any way. Thanks MIC.

[KayDGee]

Protesters are 102 days too late. The President is working as quickly as he can to right all of the wrongs of the last 8 years - Does he get any thanks or cooperation? Not a chance! It's not fast enough or comprehensive enough (yet). He's trying to put out a forest fire with a glass of water.. He could move faster if, Instead of taking up room on the sidewalk, these geniuses try volunteering for some organization (say, the Democratic Party) to assist the administration in moving this along, .. instead of taking the time to find all the costumes and orchestrate the drams. Protests are for people with a cause who have no other recourse. This is a waste of time and manpower. The process is in place - Support it.

[Foxinbox]

Obama defended state secrets about international renditions, defending us torturing in far away lands. Take off your rose colored glasses and you will see the *blood.*

[paganmist]

Well, that was certainly dramatic.

[screened]

i am bedridden with a bad case of HopeLash !!

[lyleholstein]

http://www.pubrecord.org/torture/874-senate-panels-report-links-detainees-murders-to-bushs-torture-policy.html

Senate Panel's Report Links Detainees' Murders to Bush's Torture Policy

A combination of “enhanced interrogation” techniques approved by high-level Bush administration officials coupled with a series of brutal beatings administered by military interrogators were directly responsible for the December 2002 deaths of two detainees at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, according to a report released last week by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The report classified their deaths as homicides. In other words, the two prisoners were tortured to death.

[bubbuh]

To answer various questions that keep coming up in this thread. The protesters. planned on getting arrested. They would have been very unhappy if they hadn't been arrested. That's what the "planned act of mass civil disobedience" was all about. This was a retro-left wing type of demonstration down to its military style organization. At the very least , bullying those two classes of eighth graders deserved some sort of police response.

These folks are confusing Obama with Bush. believing that Obama needs to be prodded to do something he's already announced that he's in the process of doing. Another point of confusion is their belief that Obama caters to a base rather than representing a broad coalition of citizens.

Just proves that wingnuts, their self-righteous lockstep logic and their litmus tests aren't the sole province of the right.

Or, perhaps, the protesters are not confused at all. A protest like this during Bush's tenancy would have received no publicity at all.

[VPN]

It struck me while watching the video that the Police handcuffing and leading the protesters away only added to the attention getting visual of seeing a couple of dozen or so in orange jumpsuits and black hoods.

[Bitsko]

It's usually part of any demo planning to include arrests. Love that First Amendment!

[baddadd49]

look on the bright side, we saved a bunch of money as they were already wearing orange jump suits.

[liberalrebuttal]

At least the Police were nice even going so far as to gently fold up their little sign. Look, everyone knew what they were doing. The protesters knew they were going to violate the law and get arrested and the Police knew they were not going to get dangerous. Everyone was polite. This was a classic sit in and they made their point. If GWB were still in there , it would be much worse because tempers would be flaring and the Police would be using tear gas and pepper spray.

[screened]

do you really think that the media sponsors would allow them to show the police beating people ? maybe, but, point is, just because you did not see it , don't think it didn't happen