UCSB students shut down industrial-military conference

More than 400 antiwar protesters at University of California, Santa Barbara shut down a conference bringing together the military, corporate industry and UC researchers. The Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies began their conference on Feb.12 at UCSB’s Corwin Pavilion.

Protesters, mostly students joined by anti-war Iraq veterans and other supporters, rallied at Pardall Tunnel and then marched on the Pavilion. Using a variety of tactics, the protesters successfully disrupted the meetings and buffet meal of the UC researchers, the military and their corporate cronies. Three students were detained and cited.

Although two students were taken in before being cited and released, the police were largely forced by the militant protesters to cite and release students on-site. The ICB moved the next day’s meeting to downtown Santa Barbara, but that too was cancelled.