Pirate radio calls for inauguration protests
 

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Washington (CNN) -- An unauthorized radio station in the nation's capital
called for "massive protests" in the week leading up to the January 20
presidential inauguration.
The station broadcast Wednesday at 1680 AM and identified itself as
"Guerrilla Radio, WSQT."

During the identification message, an announcer said, "WSQT is a project of
urban activists in the D.C. area working on housing issues, homeless issues,
issues of war, issues of occupation both at home and abroad, and issues of
the environment that we all have to live in."

After being tipped by a reporter, an official with the Federal
Communications Commission said enforcement investigators will try to
pinpoint the transmitter using direction-finding equipment.

Other programming featured rap music with urgent, unsettled lyrics that were
generally shouted instead of sung. The station's poor audio quality made the
vocalizations nearly unintelligible.

An unidentified announcer said, "It's time to say no to Bush and no to a ban
on abortions."

The announcer also called on the Supreme Court justices to "get off your
butts" and free people unfairly imprisoned on drug convictions, and further
stated that "we know you can hear our signal up there, and all you people in
Congress."

There is no authorized radio outlet in the Washington area on the frequency
used by the protesters, federal records show.

CNN monitored the signal on a conventional car radio as far away as the
Maryland suburbs, about 10 miles from downtown Washington.
An FCC monitoring station is within reception range of the signal, the
agency official said.

There was no immediate response from the station to an e-mail requesting an
interview. The e-mail was sent to an address mentioned in the broadcast.

A number of anti-Bush groups have planned protests around Inauguration Day.
Organized events range from demonstrators turning their backs on President
Bush to war protests.

The anti-war, anti-racism group known as ANSWER has announced a
demonstration along Pennsylvania Avenue as the president travels from the
U.S. Capitol to the White House.

A statement at www.ANSWERcoalition.org calls for participants to claim spots
by 9 a.m.

Another group has urged demonstrators to come to the official public
ceremonies and then, at a set time, to turn their backs collectively on the
president. The group is organizing on the Web at www.TurnYourBackOnBush.org.

A third group, www.ReDefeatBush.com, seeks to focus attention on perceived
voting irregularities in the November election.

(CNN's Paul Courson contributed to this report.)