BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 29 (AFP) - Three people were arrested at an antiwar march that ended up outside the Boston arena where John Kerry was to accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday, police said.
Around 200 protesters, who marched through downtown Boston, demonstrated to call for the United States to pull troops out of Iraq immediately, something Kerry has ruled out if he wins the November election.
The crowd chanted slogans against the war but, as had been the case since the Democratic national convention opened Monday, there was no large-scale unrest amid a heavy police presence.
One person carrying a fake Molotov cocktail was arrested for disorderly conduct and two others were jailed for allegedly shoving police officers in a scuffle, Boston police superintendent Robert Dunford told AFP at the rally.
"The demonstrators have been peaceful. Their numbers have been really small," he said.
Some protesters expressed anger over Kerry's support for the war in Iraq, although many said they would vote for the senator over Republican President George W. Bush anyway.
"Anyone who doesn't is a fool," said Anne Larsen, a 52-year-old librarian.
"I'm very ashamed of what my country is doing in Iraq, and I want people to know we have to end the occupation," she said. "This is the most important march I've ever been on."