Diamondstone Hand-Cuffed, Face Down At Debate.

Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone of Brattleboro said the United States had been committing "war crimes" in Iraq since imposing economic sanctions more than a decade ago and also claimed it was using uranium-enriched weapons.

"We are the terrorists, and the world needs to be armed against us," said Diamondstone, a perennial candidate who repeatedly criticized Sanders, an old rival.

Diamondstone drew rebukes from the crowd of 250 when he called two students "these two shits" for seemingly directing more questions to Sanders and Tarrant. In fact, the students were reading questions from audience members, who chose what candidates to query.

Diamondstone then refused to stop talking after his allotted time, and, at the request of student organizers, was escorted from the stage by Windsor County sheriff's deputies. In a hallway outside the debate, Diamondstone continued his protest to return to the debate. At one point, he was pinned face down on the floor in a law school hallway by two officers and handcuffed.

Windsor County Sheriff Michael Chamberlain, who was not present, said in a phone interview later that Diamondstone was charged with disorderly conduct and issued a citation to appear in court. He was released at the scene.

In a phone interview, Vermont Law School Dean and President Geoffrey Shields said he told authorities VLS did not intend to press charges against Diamondstone, and that the situation differed from an arrest of a protester at a state Supreme Court forum at VLS because that posed a potential "safety" issue.

"In this case, I thought Diamondstone was acting highly inappropriately, but he was stating his position of what he thought was fair, and for people to hear that is not a bad thing," Shields said.

Shields said law school officials had debated the merits, and legal requirements, of inviting even fringe candidates to the debate, which was sponsored by the student bar association.

"The general rule with regard to not-for-profit organizations having political candidates appear is that you ask all the candidates," Shields said. "You are even-handed."

http://www.libertyunion.windham.vt.us/Peter%20Dimondstone/Diamondstone%20hand-cuffed.htm