ment. A free rock concert had been scheduled for 7 p.m. on the Monument grounds by the People's Coalition for Peace, and Justice, which plans massive civil disobedience next week around the slogan, "If the government won't stop the war, then the people will stop the government."
The most tense moment of the day came as the crowd at the base of the Monument swelled to around 100,000 and the music had not yet begun. Demonstrators ripped off the American flags which fly from poles around the Monument, and set fire to everything that would burn, including portable toilets.
Park Police stationed inside the Monument arrested one person for stealing a flag.
By 8:30 p.m., the music had started and dozens of groups, including Pete Seeger and Livingston Taylor, entertained the crowd until dawn. About 50,000 stayed in the park overnight, and many of them are expected to remain in Washington for next week's actions.
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