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Marchers Protesting Blockade Are Heckled

Marchers Protesting Blockade Are Heckled image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
October
Year
1962
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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DEMONSTRATORS MEET: This is how the University’s diagonal looked yesterday afternoon as opposing groups demonstrating for and against America’s Cuban blockade met. Moments later the anti-blockade group left the campus to start a march to the County Building. They were accompanied by more than 200 pro-blockade student supporters.

Marchers Protesting Blockade Are Heckled

In a battle of signs, shouts, brief speeches a little jostling and a few thrown eggs, 500 University students yesterday debated the Cuban crisis. The “discussion” began about 4 p.m. when a group of sign-carrying students opposing the U. S. blockade of Cuba gathered on the University’s diagonal and prepared to stage a “peace march” to the Washtenaw County Building.

Moments later another group of students, also carrying signs, appeared. They left little doubt that they were in strong support of the American blockade.

Holding their signs high in the air the two groups stood several feet apart shouting their views to those who were able to hear. On the diagonal it appeared the pro-blockade group outnumbered the “peace marchers” by 2 to 1.

At 4:05 p.m. as the anti-blockade students were preparing to begin their march to the County Building a group of pro-blockaders ran to a nearby flagpole where the United Nations flag was flying and hauled down the UN emblem. A great cheer went up from their supporters.

The march to the County Building by the "peace" group was interrupted in the 400 block

of E. Huron St. by a determined mob of pro-blockade supporters who formed a human wall across the sidewalk and refused to move.

A “peace” sign was ripped up and several students began a jostling bout which was quickly broken up by two plainclothes Ann Arbor detectives.

“You’ll have to let them walk on,” the police told the pro-blockade group. They did. But they accompanyed the anti-blockaders the entire three-

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on 3, 13, 28, 39, 44

block route to the County Building, heckling as they went. A few eggs were thrown at the marchers.

At the County Building the “peace” group sat down on the sidewalk. An impromptu debate between a member of each group never got off the ground when the "peace” speaker told the crowd he felt he would “hurt our cause” if he continued speaking.

Most of the pro-blockade students had left for the campus by the time the anti-blockade group passed out statements on their position and then departed.