Judge Orders 470 GOP Protesters ReleasedA judge ordered the immediate release of nearly 500 protesters just hours before President Bush's speech at the Republican convention, then fined the city for refusing to comply with his order.
State Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo fined the city $1,000 for every protester held past a 5 p.m. deadline that he had set for their release. It was unclear how many detainees were still in custody, but Cataldo had ordered the release of 470 people.
"These people have already been the victims of a process," Cataldo told the city's top lawyer. "I can no longer accept your statement that you are trying to comply."
There were accusations that the city was deliberately holding the protesters longer so they would not be in the streets during President Bush's speech Thursday evening.
[...] "The allegations that the NYPD was purposely holding demonstrators until after the president of the United States left New York City was part of a deliberate misinformation campaign," police spokesman Paul Browne said.
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