 Anti-war protesters pack Sproul Plaza for a demonstration against the war with Iraq. (Steve McConnell photos) |
Anti-war protest at UC Berkeley draws more than 1,500 people; 117 cited at Sproul Hall sit-in
BERKELEY – More than 1,500 students and community members held a peaceful noontime rally today (March 20) on University of California, Berkeley's Sproul Plaza to protest the war in Iraq. Some of the protesters then entered Sproul Hall and staged a sit-in on the first floor.
 |
 Chanting demonstrators flash peace signs during a sit-in in the Lobby of Sproul Hall. |
In all, 117 people were arrested without incident. They were cited for misdemeanor trespassing and released, according to UCPD. Of those arrested, 98 were UC Berkeley students and two were juveniles who were released to their parents.
Sproul Hall houses administrative and student services offices, including undergraduate and graduate admissions offices, the registrar and the financial aid office. There was some disruption to student services during the three-hour sit-in, but no classes were interrupted.
Anti-war actions at the campus were peaceful and there were no injuries reported at the protest, one of several that took place today in the Bay Area.
###
Note to reporters: For the latest
war-related information from UC Berkeley,
please visit the new UC Berkeley NewsCenter
at http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/.
A special campus Web site on the conflict
with Iraq can be found at http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/iraq/.
Reporters looking for experts to interview
about various aspects of the war should
visit https://newsarchive.berkeley.edu/news/extras/index.html.