Echoing the aftermath of Rage Against the Machines impromptu show outside the Republican National Convention Tuesday, fans clashed with police following the bands concert at Minneapoliss Target Center last night (September 3). And by "clashed with we mean 102 people were arrested.
According to several reports, a crowd of about 250 concertgoers (of more than 13,000) left the venue for the citys downtown core, where they marched and shouted Rage choruses like "All hell can't stop us now" and "Fuck you, I wont do what you tell me.
One witness told Minnesota Public Radio: "We were watching the convention at about 10 p.m. and we saw people gearing up for protest rides. And we're like, 'oh we should actually check this out, because it might be cool. Like a history in action kind of thing."
Soon the police arrived, most sporting riot gear and several on horseback and bicycles. They proceeded to thin the crowd with the help of a little pepper spray, several witnesses said, and used two city buses to haul the arrested protestors off to jail.
In the end, there was reportedly no violence or damage caused by the protest. More importantly, there was also no clear indication of what the Rage fans were even protesting. The Republicans? War? The high beer prices at the concert venue? Perhaps it was all just an excuse not to do what people tell you.
Whatever it was, here were front-man Zack de la Rochas instructions to fans at the show:
I know a lot of you feel the way that we do. In our small way, together we come to spots like this to interrupt and to disrupt and to not be passive in the face of all this death and destruction that this party brought to this country and the world. We wont be party to it. And were going to resist it. And were not going to let them distract our brothers and sisters and people around the country from it These people are concerned about a few determined people that broke a couple of windows; this government just broke two countries! Oh and by the way, Sarah Palins 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, I forgot to mention that.
I dont know what you all are going to do tonight afterward, but I hope you all leave peacefully but you dont have to be passive! You dont have to let anyone put their hands on you.
Judging by the arrests, apparently Mr. de la Rocha was wrong about that last one
Rage Against the Machine live at the Target Center
According to several reports, a crowd of about 250 concertgoers (of more than 13,000) left the venue for the citys downtown core, where they marched and shouted Rage choruses like "All hell can't stop us now" and "Fuck you, I wont do what you tell me.
One witness told Minnesota Public Radio: "We were watching the convention at about 10 p.m. and we saw people gearing up for protest rides. And we're like, 'oh we should actually check this out, because it might be cool. Like a history in action kind of thing."
Soon the police arrived, most sporting riot gear and several on horseback and bicycles. They proceeded to thin the crowd with the help of a little pepper spray, several witnesses said, and used two city buses to haul the arrested protestors off to jail.
In the end, there was reportedly no violence or damage caused by the protest. More importantly, there was also no clear indication of what the Rage fans were even protesting. The Republicans? War? The high beer prices at the concert venue? Perhaps it was all just an excuse not to do what people tell you.
Whatever it was, here were front-man Zack de la Rochas instructions to fans at the show:
I know a lot of you feel the way that we do. In our small way, together we come to spots like this to interrupt and to disrupt and to not be passive in the face of all this death and destruction that this party brought to this country and the world. We wont be party to it. And were going to resist it. And were not going to let them distract our brothers and sisters and people around the country from it These people are concerned about a few determined people that broke a couple of windows; this government just broke two countries! Oh and by the way, Sarah Palins 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, I forgot to mention that.
I dont know what you all are going to do tonight afterward, but I hope you all leave peacefully but you dont have to be passive! You dont have to let anyone put their hands on you.
Judging by the arrests, apparently Mr. de la Rocha was wrong about that last one
Rage Against the Machine live at the Target Center