Washington (CNN) -- Authorities used pepper spray on a group of protesters trying to enter the National Air and Space Museum on Saturday, forcing the building to close about two hours early.

One person was arrested, according to Linda St. Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian Institution, which runs that and numerous other museums in Washington. She estimated between 100 and 200 people were in the crowd.

Demonstrators railing against U.S. participation in the war in Afghanistan initially gathered Saturday, along with protesters aligned with the national Occupy Wall Street movement, in Washington's Freedom Plaza. The latter effort started in New York more than three weeks ago, targeting the nation's financial sector and various social ills, and has since spread to more than a dozen cities.

The Washington demonstrators Saturday chanted "Occupy Wall Street, Occupy H Street, Occupy Everything, and never give it back." Some moved from Freedom Plaza toward the museum, which is along the National Mall, escorted by District of Columbia police.

Some started to enter the museum to demonstrate against displays of military drones used during the war in Afghanistan. St. Thomas said that one of the protesters pushed a museum security guard against a wall, prompting another guard to respond with pepper spray to force demonstrators outside.

"We wanted to go inside and protest at those particular items of destruction, and the crowd was pepper sprayed going in and was forced out of the building," said Brian Morrison, one of the protesters.

Araz Alali, a spokesman with the D.C. Police, said his department had no knowledge the museum security was going to pepper spray the protesters.

Demonstrator Greg Slater carried a sign that read "Occupy Wall Street, not Afghanistan." He said that the protest did not warrant the type of reaction it got from the museum security guards.

"This is absolutely meant to be a nonviolent protest," said Slater. "It's about peacefully taking back of democracy and ending the war in Afghanistan."

St. Thomas said that the Air and Space Museum will open at its regularly scheduled time of 10 a.m. Sunday.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/08/politics/dc-protest-museum/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

I tried some pepper spray in my chili. It was too hot.

Meant to be and is are two different things. I've heard quite a few of these stories but have actually seen the video on a couple of them. The protesters in the video I saw absolutely deserved what they got, many of them have very little to do with what they were protesting about and are what I call "professional activists" who just take any chance that opens up to them to protest anything.

While I think it's great that people will rise up and fight for their rights, I just saw a mob of rowdy college kids who were obviously trying to get a firm response from police and EVERY single person in the crowd had a video camera of some sort recording everything so they could claim police brutality.

Stupid.

How much pepper spray did you use and was it for a whole
pot or just for one serving?

It was partially a joke. A friend gave me some highly concentrated capsicum of the same strength as pepper spray (stronger than some pepper sprays) and I put a teaspoon in about two quarts of chili that I had already made very, very, hot.

I have never found a chili that was too hot to eat, but this batch truly caused pain.... lots of pain!

I ate it anyway, just on principal.


OP (Sorry for the off topic. )

They did attack and detain a Security Guard, they could have used a little more force if you ask me.

It's become clear that besides pepper-spray wielding police there is another threat to the "Occupy" movement-- agents provocateur.


The people who planned the protest against killer drones at the National Air and Space museum wanted to make a statement and send a message. They did not want to scare families and children or shut down the museum.


That was not on the agenda of admitted agent provocateur Patrick Howley, assistant editor at the right wing publication American Spectator. He brags about running ahead of other protesters, into the main museum area, in the process shocking and startling tourists. Howley reports in his braggadocio filled American Spectator article, Link http://spectator.org/archives/2011/10/08/standoff-in-dc/print
Under a cloud of pepper spray I forced myself into the doors and sprinted blindly across the floor of the Air and Space Museum, drawing the attention of hundreds of stunned khaki-clad tourists (some of whom began snapping off disposable-camera portraits of me). I strained to glance behind me at the dozens of protesters I was sure were backing me up, and then I got hit again, this time with a cold realization: I was the only one who had made it through the doors. As two guards pointed at me and started running, I dodged a circle of gawking old housewives and bolted upstairs.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Occupy-Organizers-Beware-by-Rob-Kall-111009-752.html

That's why 200 people attacked one person?

mmmm chilly coney.
To bad they didnt have more pepper spray