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One demonstrator helps another flush her eyes with water after after police pepper-sprayed a group of protestors AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Demonstrators pepper-sprayed in Washington museum

Police used pepper spray to repel the protesters, who entered the National Air and Space Museum in Washington to demonstrate yesterday.

THE NATIONAL AIR and Space Museum in Washington was closed yesterday after anti-war demonstrators swarmed the building to protest a drone exhibit and security guards used pepper spray to repel them.

Smithsonian spokesman John Gibbons said a large group of demonstrators, estimated at 100 to 200 people, arrived at about 3 pm and tried to enter the National Mall museum.

When a security guard stopped group members from entering, saying they could not bring in signs, he was apparently held by demonstrators, Gibbons said. A second guard who arrived used pepper spray on at least one person and the crowd dispersed, he added.

A number of groups have been demonstrating in the city in the past week.

The group that arrived at the museum Saturday included individuals taking part in the October 2011 Stop the Machine demonstration in the city’s Freedom Plaza, which has an anti-war and anti-corporate greed message.

The group also included protesters affiliated with Occupy DC, a group modelled on the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City.

A DC fire department spokesman said that medics treated or evaluated a dozen people at the scene but that no one was seriously hurt by the pepper spray.

Ann Wilcox, a lawyer working with Stop the Machine, said a 19-year-old woman was arrested by police. She paid a fine and was released.

The museum has an exhibit, Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, that covers the history of unmanned aircraft and their current use as offensive weapons.

The museum is expected to re-open today.

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16 Comments
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    Mute David Higgins
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    Oct 9th 2011, 9:32 AM

    Disobey the rules, don’t except our sympathy when the consequences arrive!

    67
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    Mute Mack O'Connell
    Favourite Mack O'Connell
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    Oct 9th 2011, 9:47 AM

    The Nazis were just following the "rules" also.

    74
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    Mute James Quirke
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    Oct 9th 2011, 9:55 AM

    ever heard of a thing called civil disobedience at all?

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    Mute Ronald
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    Oct 9th 2011, 12:40 PM

    You say ‘civil disobedience’ as if it was the equivalent to peaceful protesting!

    Jeeez, some people seem to think that their self-righteousness justifies breaking the law!

    27
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    Mute Conor Murphy
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    Oct 9th 2011, 1:04 PM

    If I was working as a security guard for A MUSEUM and some self righteous twit held down my co-worker I’d get them off pretty sharply too.

    Now not saying that’s definitely what happened but they have no right to physically restrain a working member of the public.

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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Oct 9th 2011, 10:10 AM

    They called medics caused they were peppered sprayed. Should be done for wasting their time.

    29
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    Mute Noel Peare
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    Oct 9th 2011, 11:31 AM

    Have you ever seen the results of pepper spray? I worked in a nightclub where a girl was pepper sprayed. She was in agony afterwards. I found it hard to stay near her as the residue on her face was enough to cause my eyes and face to have the same symptoms. She was taken away by ambulance & I assure you it was necessary.

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    Mute Cormac Flanagan
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    Oct 9th 2011, 12:53 PM

    While never been pepper sprayed myself I have seen the effects of those who have numerous times(actually more than numerous) and ALL just had to wash out there eyes with water.

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    Mute joseph mcgee
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    Oct 10th 2011, 12:58 AM

    more than numerous? how many is more than numerous? is it, loike, a lot?
    do tell flanagan, how and where did u see the effects of those who’ve been pepper sprayed
    numerous times. sorry i mean more than numerous times
    CSI or some other show?

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    Mute steve white
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    Oct 9th 2011, 9:54 AM

    Conservative Spectator Magazine Brags of its Agent Provacateur’s Role in Provoking Attack on DC Museum http://t.co/Gsm8wqTK

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    Mute Niall Carson
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    Oct 9th 2011, 10:56 AM

    Sounds pretty damming

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    Mute Ronald
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    Oct 9th 2011, 12:43 PM

    They rushed and held down a security guard… A normal Average Joe doing his job… Not an SS Officer!

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    Mute willy pearse
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    Oct 9th 2011, 11:43 AM

    Heil Obama!

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    Mute Oscar Brophy
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    Oct 9th 2011, 12:11 PM

    bloddy yanks

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    Mute Pete Gibson
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    Oct 9th 2011, 12:09 PM

    Amazing how they don’t object to war aircraft which carry a living pilot!
    They seem to have a superstitious fear of automation.

    Drones are just the start of the automation.
    Google Earth can tell me the difference in latitude and longitude between the front and the back of my car parked in my driveway.
    Within 20 years piloted warplanes will look as antiquated as the Wright Brothers plane in Kitty Hawk in 1903.

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    Mute Saffron Marriott
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    Oct 9th 2011, 11:26 AM

    I got chili in my eyes making a curry recently and it was truly awful – poor people

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