Protesting the US National Conventions: A Visual History The Week
go to original August 28, 2012

(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Protesters of the world, unite!

Tropical storm or no, some 15,000 activists are expected to swarm the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this week, followed by another 10,000 protesters in Charlotte, N.C., for the Democratic National Convention. And whether it's Occupy-like complaints about the 1 percent or conservative critiques of abortion, this year's demonstrations are sure to be quite vocal. Here, a look back at past convention protests:



The 1948 DNC: Jim Crow

Sign-carrying marchers parade at the main entrance of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 12, 1948. With the Jim Crow laws firmly in place and the Democratic Party on the verge of a split, Hubert Humphrey delivered a fiery speech urging his party to include a strong civil rights plank in its platform, which prompted a walkout by Southern delegates. (Associated Press)

The 1964 DNC: Civil Rights

Members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party crowd into an entrance at the Atlantic City convention hall on Aug. 25, 1964, during the Democratic National Convention. The spin-off party tried to claim its state's convention seats on the grounds that the Mississippi delegation's election violated party rules by excluding blacks from voting. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: The MFDP got two seats with no power to vote. (Associated Press)



The 1968 DNC: The Yippie Movement

Police clash with a throng of "yippies" — counterculture, anti-war Youth International Party members — in Chicago's Grant Park during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 28, 1968. The convention's five days of mayhem culminated on Aug. 31, when a melee between anti-war protesters and police was caught on film. The brief riot drew tons of media attention and spawned the rallying cry, "the whole world's watching." (Associated Press)



The 1972 RNC: Vietnam War

A trash bin is set ablaze by demonstrators trying to stop traffic on a street near the Miami Beach Convention Hall on Aug. 23, 1972, as Republican National Convention delegates try to assemble for their final session. The convention, which ultimately nominated incumbent President Richard Nixon, was the target of widespread protesting focused on the Vietnam War. (Associated Press)



The 1984 DNC: Gay Rights

Demonstrators participate in a gay-rights protest in San Francisco on July 15, 1984, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention. With the city by the bay largely serving as the epicenter of the gay pride movement, and California dipping a toe into LGBT rights —  prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation in some cities — it was no surprise that gay rights were a focus of the Democratic convention. (Associated Press/Joe Skipper)



The 1992 RNC: AIDS

Members of the AIDS protest group ACT-UP stage a "die-in" outside the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, where activist Mary Fisher, who was HIV-positive, spoke to the Republican National Convention on Aug. 19, 1992. Although protesters accused President George H.W. Bush of being unsympathetic toward AIDS sufferers, Fisher praised him as being compassionate. (Associated Press/Rick McFarland)

The 1996 RNC: Abortion

Abortion-rights demonstrators line up to protest against GOP presidential hopeful Bob Dole as he arrives at the San Diego airport for the Republican National Convention on Aug. 11, 1996. Protesters on both sides of the abortion debate clashed during the 1996 political conventions. (Associated Press/Nick Ut)



The 2000 DNC: The Environment

Marchers carry signs protesting Vice President Al Gore's link to the Occidental Petroleum Corporation on Aug. 14, 2000, during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Gore, who was rated as the "most knowledgeable" presidential candidate on green issues, was found to own up to $500,000 worth of stock in a company on the cusp of drilling in Colombia's rain forests. (Reuters/FSP/ME)

The 2004 RNC: Iraq War

While Republicans prepared to re-elect a wartime president at the 2004 convention in New York City, the largest-ever political convention protest was competing for attention. One group carrying 1,000 flag-draped coffins stood out from the estimated 400,000 protesters. Meant to commemorate U.S. troops killed during President George W. Bush's War on Terror, the procession up Seventh Avenue proved to be a solemn spectacle. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)



The 2008 RNC: Torture

Anti-torture activists walk the streets in front of the Minnesota State Capital on Aug. 31, 2008, during the GOP convention. The anti-torture movement was a major presence at both conventions, as Americans responded to the news that the CIA used the widely condemned interrogation technique know as waterboarding on al Qaeda suspects captured after the September 11 attacks. (Max Whittaker/Getty Images)

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