Anti-war cries turned to cries of anger aimed at police when officers arrested two protesters and showered the crowd with oleoresin capsicum, which is a form of pepper spray, at University Square Thursday afternoon.
Justin Bendall roused police when he began torching Army promotional pamphlets in front of an estimated 100 protesters gathered at U.S. Army Recruiting Station, 73 University Square. According to Larry Kamholz, public information officer for the Madison Police Department, Bendall's actions were not only illegal but also unsafe.
In response to police advances, several people interfered with officers by attempting to free Bendall and lying in officers' paths, Kamholz said. Officers also arrested Ivan Welander, a UW-Madison senior, when he obstructed an officer in an attempt to release Bendall.
Kamholz said both Bendall and Welander had been booked at the Dane County Jail. Protesters collected bail money for the two, who were released Thursday afternoon, according to UW-Madison freshman Josh Healey who helped organize the protest.
Due to the heavy resistance by 20 to 30 people, police had to release the pepper spray upon the crowd, according to Kamholz.
\In that type of situation, [using pepper spray] is clearly not uncommon,"" he said. ""We have to ensure the safety of our officers and the community.""
However, Ray Pingree, a UW-Madison graduate student who participated in the protest, said he thinks police were ""overreacting"" when they resorted to pepper spray.
The incident marked the first time police have used pepper spray in Madison since the Halloween riots, according to Kamholz. It marked the first time since the Vietnam War that pepper spray was used on protesters in Madison.
The arrests were the climax of a rally that originated at Library Mall at noon. Kamholz estimated 200 to 300 people had assembled at Library Mall to listen to anti-war speakers. Then, aided by police, up to 200 protesters halted traffic as they marched on Johnson Street, University Avenue and through campus.
Pingree called the turnout ""pretty amazing"" since the protest was scheduled at the last minute.
Protester and UW-Madison sophomore Charlie Hoyt said protesting is crucial now that the war is underway.
""It is more important to [protest] now than before [the war] started,"" he said. ""We may not stop this war but wars in other countries that are next.""
However, one student attended to show support for the war.
Shrouded in an American flag, UW-Madison senior Ryan Holz said he attended to ""support our troops who allow people to protest."" Holz said the war is a necessary act of protection from a dangerous Saddam Hussein.
""[Hussein] has a history of being aggressive,"" he said.
In addition, some students said they did not support the protest itself.
""I'm so disappointed because I feel like Saddam feeds off of protesters,"" UW-Madison graduate student Tara Zimet said.
Zimet also said she does not have high regard for protesters.
""[Protesters] are not supporting our troops,"" she said. ""They're [protesting] because it's the cool thing to do.\
