Marchers in Bangor protest war

The war in the Middle East brought a large crowd of demonstrators to the streets of Bangor Thursday afternoon. People blocked traffic on Harlow Street, and police were called in to restore order.

The demonstrators then paraded through downtown Bangor.

A juvenile from Brewer High School, who has been an active participant in many of the peace rallies staged during the past two days, was arrested and charged with obstructing traffic.

Sally Buckwalter of the Maine Coalition to Stop War in the Middle East, said that the demonstrators gathered at the Federal Building represented various peace groups in the area.

Before the protest got out of hand, Buckwalter said there were no immediate plans for “civil disobedience” but said she would not be surprised if the group attempted to block the street.

About 15 minutes into the protest, that is just what happened.

Upon the command of one man, hundreds of people marched into the middle of Harlow Street blocking traffic. The protest began at about 4:15 p.m. when the area was heavily congested as people attempted to get to the post office on their way home from work.

Two police officers were on hand and had been watching the crowd closely. They moved in when the crowd went into the street.

One officer, Sgt. John Welch, appealed to the group to get back on the sidewalk, but many of the group’s members did not listen and said they were planning to march in the middle of the road.

Welch called for police backup, and soon several police cruisers arrived and blocked the road to protesters.

Things became physical as Bangor police officers and deputies from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department tried to control the crowd and arrested the Brewer High School student.

When it became clear that the crowd was not going to dissipate, the decision was made to escort the group peacefully through downtown Bangor.

The group fell in behind a police cruiser and traffic was held up as they marched to Central Street and up Main Street where they turned around and returned to Harlow Street.

During the march, a man pounded a drum and members of the group shouted anti-war slogans.

Once at the Federal Building the group continued to protest, but police reported no further trouble.

Some of the protestors plan to attend a massive peace rally planned on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Washington D.C.