D.C. Pepper Spray Incident A New False Flag

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Saturday’s pepper spray incident at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, where nearly 1,000 peaceful protesters were eventually denied entry, has been tagged a false flag incident enacted by an assistant publisher of The American Spectator, Patrick Howley.

Howley revealed in his own “breaking story” that he had consciously infiltrated the group on Friday with the intent to discredit the “occupy” movement. He stated that “as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator…”

Since the protesters were “unwilling to be confrontational,” he snuck past the guard at the first entrance in order to infiltrate the building and then confronted another guard. He then “sprinted toward the door” at which time he was first hit with pepper spray, he reported.

The incident caused numerous individuals to suffer from exposure to the spray, including tourists who were not involved in the peace movement. Guards closed the museum in conjunction with the spray incident.

Howley described himself as an “agent provocateur.”

The peace activists from the October2011.org encampment at Freedom Plaza had ascended the museum steps, chanting, “When drones fly, children die.”

Their message is to “Stop the Machine! — Create a New World!” and is intended for “all who are deeply concerned with injustice, militarism, and environmental destruction to join in ending concentrated corporate power and taking direct control of a real participatory democracy. We will encourage a culture of resistance—using music, art, theater, and direct nonviolent action—to take control of our country and our lives. It is about courageously resisting and stopping the corporate state from destroying not only our inherent rights and freedoms, but also our children’s chance to live, breathe clean air, drink pure water, grow edible natural food and live in peace.”

According to Dennis Trainor, Jr.,  “We intended to stage a die in under a drone exhibit. We don’t think a U.S. museum should glorify weapons of mass destruction. We were denied entry, physically beaten back by police, and at least 12 of us (myself included) were hit with pepper spray.”

Said Mike Ferner, acting director of Veterans for Peace, “ Approximately 50 members of Veterans For Peace participated in a march this afternoon from Freedom Plaza to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.  The museum was featuring an exhibit on unmanned drone bombers that a group of about 250 people from the October2011.org encampment at Freedom Plaza intended to protest.

They opened the doors at one of the three entrances, and when that entryway became full, they went to the second and third entrances.”

Ferner explained, “I was at the first entranceway, holding the door open for people to enter. I saw a police or security officer in a white shirt hold his hands up, telling people to stop. The marchers continued and the officer began pepper-spraying everyone. From everything I saw until that moment, there was no reason for the pepper-spraying. The door of the museum clearly said ‘free admission.’ It did not say ‘Free admission if you are quiet’ or ‘Free admission unless you have opinions contrary to government policy.’

“This was a clear abuse of authority and a use of force far beyond what was called for.  Our members are consulting with National Lawyers Guild attorneys who are working with the october2011.org encampment.”

Veterans For Peace is an organization composed of U.S. military veterans from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars and every period in between.

Said David Swanson, author of “War Is A Lie,”  “I’ve been coughing and vomiting, and my head aches from pepper spray.

“We intended to hold signs and sing inside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, protesting its promotion of unmanned drones, missiles, and bombs, including its sponsorship by and promotion of weapons corporations.  We don’t have any museums promoting health coverage or education or retirement security.

“We had marched from the Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square occupations, taking over the streets of D.C.  The museum knew we were coming.  Some of our group got in and dropped a banner.  Hundreds of us did not.  Instead, we were greeted at the door with cans of pepper spray.

“There were three sets of entrance doors.  I was among the first to open the third set of doors.  A guard shook a can of pepper spray in front of me and demanded that we back out.  But a dozen feet away at the second set of doors, people were staggering out and collapsing in pain, having been pepper sprayed in the face.  I started to go toward them, but began coughing and vomiting.  A lot of people were effected, directly or — like me — indirectly by the pepper spray.

“It is not true that we assaulted the police.  Nobody was accused of or charged with that.  I didn’t hear about it until later from the media.  A young woman named Thi Le was told she’d be charged with assaulting a police officer after she was pepper sprayed and handcuffed, but they switched the charge to disorderly conduct and released her a few hours later.

“It is not true that they only pepper sprayed one person.  Many people were pepper sprayed.

“It is not true that the crowd dispersed.  The guards locked the doors and closed the museum.  We had not planned to close the museum but to demonstrate and leave.  With the museum closed and one of our own in custody, we held a rally on the steps as more people made their way over from Freedom Plaza to join us.  We were there for hours. We will be here for as long as it takes.

“Congress comes back to this town on Tuesday. We’re ready. We’re nonviolent. We’re not scared. We’re not discouraged. We’re not fooled. We’ve got demands as clear as a blue sky: ‘Occupy Wall Street, Occupy K Street,  Occupy Everything, And Never Give it Back!’”

A march was planned for Sunday, Oct. 9, with a noon arrival at the White House with the purpose of asking President Obama, “Where’s our beer summit?”

According to Col. Ann Wright (retired), “It’s high time that President Obama met with military families, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and veterans from other wars who don’t agree with his policies on war and their effects on veterans and families.”

Jeff Merrick, Military Families Speak Out board representative from California and Hawaii, noted that “currently, the American public is overwhelmingly in favor of troops leaving both countries, especially in light of our economic crisis where funds for veterans’ care are needed because of the continuing casualties and families are devastated by long-term care for their wounded.

“We want some answers, and President Obama is the commander-in-chief; he owes answers to those who sacrifice much everyday and have sacrificed in the past for this country.”