Convention protests to go on despite Gustav

President Bush and Vice President Cheney aren’t coming to the Republican National Convention, but anti-war protesters still plan to march on the Xcel  Energy Center Monday morning.

{mosads}Bush and Cheney are skipping the convention because of Hurricane Gustav, a category three storm that could hit New Orleans Monday afternoon. Most convention activities for Monday have been cancelled as a result, but 130 anti-war organizations in the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War aren’t changing plans for a massive march.

“Hurricane Gustav affects the Republican Party because they don't  want to be seen as ignoring another crisis as they did when they left people to die on freeway overpasses,” said Meredith Aby, a member of the Coalition, in a reference to Hurricane Katrina.

She said the demonstration would voice opposition to putting the Iraq War as a higher priority than human needs such as building levees and providing health care.

“In addition, the RNC will still be in session during our march. Tomorrow we can still give our message to the party that supported the war and that supports its continuation,” she said.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is expected to receive his party’s presidential nomination this week, announced Sunday that the convention would trim its activities to include “business only” until the hurricane situation was under control.

The protest group has been organizing the march for more than two years.  It said it still expected a mass turnout at the Monday morning march on the Xcel Energy Center, which will begin and end at the Minnesota State Capitol building.

“We expect that tens of thousands will join us in the march on the RNC and say no to the war on Iraq,” said Jess Sundin, a spokesperson  for the Coalition. “We have heard from people around the country that they are coming to St Paul. Buses have been chartered, vans rented, and car pools organized from cities and towns across the Midwest.”

Republican delegates are planning to meet for about two hours Monday to elect convention officers, ratify rules and approve the party platform.

Nearly 3,500 police officers are expected to be in the St. Paul streets Monday monitoring the march, which is expected to begin at 11 a,m. Other protests are also expected throughout the day.

Police have arrested members of another protest group, the RNC Welcoming Committee, in advance of the convention, and obtained materials that police said could have been used for illegal purposes.