Antiwar Protest Causes Mild Ruckus

Around 500 antiwar protesters marched on the UC-Santa Barbara campus Tuesday, the Daily Nexus reports—an event that led to the arrest of three, in addition to prompting a counterprotest and the formation of a dramatic-sounding "human barrier":

Although the march was initially peaceful, the demonstration quickly intensified when protesters responded to the arrest of two male participants. After police officers pulled the two men from the crowd and placed them under arrest, several demonstrators rushed to obstruct the path of three police cars. Forming a human barrier, they proceeded to link arms and assume a seated position, demanding the release of the persons in custody.

The protest was held in response to a military industry conference on campus and focused on both the Iraq war and the University of California's involvement in military research. Protesters accused police of excessive jostling ("Then he kicked me when I was on the floor"), but—according to the Nexus reports— activists, too, were less than well behaved—allegedly flipping tables, pounding on doors, ripping down posters (leading to the third arrest), and stealing food (really?).

Despite the mild disruption, police said the event was handled "professionally." It certainly was no University of Southern California "sit-in."