Three war protesters arrested at Fort Benning

Part of bus tour that stopped in Columbus on Sunday
By Lily Gordon, - lgordon@ledger-enquirer.com --

~snip~ Liam Madden and Nate Lewis, both 24, were taken into custody by military police shortly before 6 p.m. for stepping onto federal property, according to post spokeswoman Monica Manganaro. A third unidentified protester was also detained for committing the same infraction approximately 30 minutes after Madden and Lewis were arrested, Manganaro added.

Lewis and Madden, both members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, were charged with criminal trespass. They, along with six other members of the anti-war organization, are currently on a bus tour protesting military bases around the country and speaking to soldiers. The group's tour bus was parked outside the stone gate on Fort Benning Road off Victory Drive, Manganaro said.

Michael Blake, 24, of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said his comrades didn't break the law intentionally. They simply crossed a line that wasn't clearly marked, he said.

"What they were doing is they were going to step up to the guard and ask him if they could come onto base," Blake said. "It was a complete accident." ~snip~

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/breaking_news/story/74411.html

The Associated Press - COLUMBUS, Ga.

Criminal charges have been dropped against three men who were arrested after stepping onto Fort Benning during an anti-war protest there early this month. ~snip~

A spokesman for the group said the men did not mean to break the law and had accidentally crossed a property line that wasn't clearly marked while trying to ask a guard if they could come onto the base.

Government attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charges this week. ~snip~

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=94919

The crazy thing about this is that they weren't protesting, they were just... being. Being anti-war vets, that is. They didn't even know they were on base when they were arrested. One of them posted his account of the whole thing here: http://www.ivaw.org/node/1210