1,000 arrested in convention protests

Nearly 1,000 protesters were arrested across Manhattan as swarms of activists massed in the streets for marches to the site of the Republican convention – by far the biggest day of arrests since the demonstrations began last week.

There were no reports of violence, but police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said officers showed “great restraint in the face of relentless provocation” by the protesters.

Police official Michael Collins said there were more than 970 arrests at various protests around the city. More than 1,300 people have been taken into custody in convention-related protest activity since late last week.

Massive security against the protests has turned Manhattan into a fortress protected by miles of barriers and heavily armed police.

Outside the New York Public Library, in the streets near the famed Herald Square and at the site of the fallen World Trade Center, demonstrators pointed themselves toward Madison Square Garden and promised to get their message across that they want President George Bush out of office.

“People are trying to question the policies of a corrupt government. They take to the streets and don’t ask permission,” said protester Gan Golan, 30, a graduate student from Boston who was arrested after he sat in the street and refused to get up.

Near Ground Zero, officers also encircled scores of demonstrators with orange netting during a protest before the march. Detained protesters were loaded on an off-duty city bus.

Outside the Fox News Channel studios in midtown Manhattan, police in riot gear used barricades to contain around 1,000 demonstrators staging a “shut-up-athon” to denounce what they called the network’s right-wing slant. One woman held up a sign that read: “Republicans are really stupid. They watch Fox News and believe it.”