Peace marchers told they need permit

City police advised a group of anti-war demonstrators today that it needed a parade permit to take its protest to the streets.

But the peace march, the second in three weeks in Sault Ste. Marie, proceeded anyway with no action against the 100 participants.

The demonstration was originally to have started in the Station Mall parking lot near the Zellers entrance.

But when SooToday News arrived there at the appointed time of 1 p.m., we were advised that everyone had moved to the nearby federal building because Station Mall is private property.

One of the march organizers, Shawn Meades, said he received information on Saturday morning that any peace demonstrators on Station Mall or Zellers property would be ticketed.

"We decided to move it to the federal building, and I sent out E-mails and made a few phone calls telling people this," Meades told SooToday.com

"I'm sure it really had an effect on our numbers, since I knew a lot of high school students who were planning on coming out, but didn't show up."

Federal building said to be private property

Outside the federal building, the assembled marchers soon attracted interest from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, who indicated a complaint had been received.

Police said that the federal building grounds are private property, an assertion that was met with incredulity by the protesters.

Then, the single officer in attendance cautioned Sault MPP Tony Martin and other demonstrators that "if you take it to the street, you need a permit."

By the time the group marched off the property and down City sidewalks to the bridge plaza neighbourhood, the local constabulary was nowhere to be seen.

Hecklers

As they passed Phil Esposito Park, the marchers were loudly heckled by a group of skaters.

Meades says that one heckler threw snowballs at a demonstrator who was carrying a two-year-old child on her back. This action was not witnessed by SooToday News, however the marchers stretched some distance down the street and most of the time we were not able to see the entire group.

"It seems anyone willing to form and express an opinion and then have the guts to do something about it is deserving of scorn and assault," Meades said.

"We've vowed that the next march will be much better organized, and hopefully the weather will be on our side, then."

Andre Riopel dresses like Lady Godiva

One well-known participant in today's march was local cycling activist Andre Riopel, who showed up dressed as Lady Godiva riding a trusty (two-wheeled) steed.

"It's International Women's Day," Riopel told our reporter. "I was going to wear the rest of my Lady Godiva outfit but I didn't have the balls," he explained.

To see Riopel's get-up, please click here.

SooToday photo coverage

Socrates, the Dog of Peace A water-cooler percussionist Arrival of the police Police have a word with Tony Martin Peace March #5 Peace March #6 Guido Caputo calls for peace Peace March #8 Peace March #9 Peace March #10 Peace March #11 Peace March #12 Raging Grannies Taking it to the street A gut-busting Ernie Burger beckons Past the casino Peace March #17 Across the street from the bridge plaza Back home by way of the West Side Cafe MCTV's Jim Fitzpatrick fluffs Take Five