Anti-war demonstrations were held along the Front Range on Saturday from Boulder to Colorado Springs.
While the Denver and Boulder protests were peaceful, in Colorado Springs seven members of a peace group were cited for failing to disperse while marching in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Protesters provided photos that appear to show 65-year-old Elizabeth Fineron with bruises and scrapes on her hip after she had been dragged by two police officers across the street.
“All of a sudden I was on the ground and I was being dragged across the street,” Fineron said. “To me, it’s that you can’t say ‘peace’ in this town.”
Colorado Springs police Sgt. David Whitlock said the department was reviewing the photos but would not comment on them “until there was an opportunity to scrutinize the actions of the officers.”
Fineron and other protesters said they had no intention of stopping the parade and were marching with a permitted bookstore’s display. They wore green shirts with peace signs, and some carried anti-war posters.
In Denver, about 400 people marched peacefully through downtown and gathered on the Capitol steps to support peace in Iraq.
Signs blossomed in the sunshine, such as “Peace is Patriotic,” “Impeach Bush” and “War is So Last Century.”
“I guess I’ve been a peacenik since World War II,” said Natalie Warner, 83, a member of the Raging Grannies of Denver, a group of older women dressed in shawls and long skirts who sang peace songs.
T.J. Westphal, who served in Iraq two years ago, challenged the crowd to urge lawmakers to stop war funding, a refrain also heard in Boulder’s Central Park, where about 200 people gathered to protest the war.
“Four years have gone since the occupation, and we are no closer to bringing the war to an end,” said Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni.
Staff writer Chuck Plunkett contributed to this report.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
