Gainesville, Florida - On January 16 a peaceful anti-war demonstrators came under physical attack by a 23-year old Gainesville man (alias "GI-JOE"). GI-JOE began tearing the signs off the sticks and kicked the sticks out of the ground. Then he physically rammed his chest into demonstrators who were trying to protect their signs. He bullied a female demonstrator and told her that he was going to "put a bullet in" her "f_cking head." GI-JOE continued in extreme agitation and called one demonstrator of Asian decent a "f_cking Jap" and "... a f_cking foreigner" then referred to the demonstrators as "Dirty Hippies." GI-JOE then knocked a cell phone out of a demonstrator`s hand and attempted to throw the demonstrator to the ground. GI-JOE said he was a US soldier with orders to return to IRAQ for more duty. If this is true, he certainly is having problems adjusting and we can certainly feel sorry for innocent Iraqis who cross his path while in this kind of rage. The Alachua County Sheriff`s (ASO) deputies arrived, took reports and filed a battery claim against GI-JOE and one demonstrator who resisted his attack with defensive force. ASO said they were charging GI-JOE as the aggressor. A UF journalism student was interviewing a demonstrator as GI-JOE began his attack. She gave a statement to the deputies and plans to write an article about it. On the previous Thursday - at the same location - a red pick-up truck drove dangerously onto the sidewalk and ran down several anti-war signs, causing a few demonstrators to step back for safety. Members of Veterans for Peace recognize soldiers like GI-JOE as victims of an immoral war and an IRAQ veteran who may never get the psychiatric help he needs in time to save himself or innocent civilians who get in his way. Anti-war activists now have to decide whether to give-in to rage and intimidation or continue the riskier option to stand their ground in peaceful protest to the illegal occupation of Iraq and the impeachable war crimes of president George W. Bush. | 
