Report on the Antiwar Protest at a Long Island Mall

The planned protest that I linked to on Friday took place over the weekend. It sounds like it went off without a hitch. Mall management accompanied the protesters on a brief march through the mall. Newsday also has a slide show.

As the protesters walked, they were trailed by at least a dozen mall officials, security guards and publicists.

Guards on foot and riding on Segway motorized scooters talked into two-way radios. A mall-hired cameraman videotaped the group's every move. The mall has said it is legally entitled to eject anyone protesting on its property. In a statement, the mall owner said its policies do not allow "protests or demonstrations of any kind ... on mall property regardless of the topic."

At one point, the group formed a circle near Tourneau and Banana Republic stores, reciting prayers and holding hands.