This is the moment a Marine sergeant confronted police during the weekend's Occupy Wall Street march on Times Square.
Marine Corp Sergeant Shamar Thomas, whose nickname is Thor, yelled at a crowd of New York police officers who he thought were acting dishonourably by being too aggressive against peaceful protesters.
'There is no honour in this! There is no honour in this!' Mr Thomas screamed over and over.
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Aghast: Sergeant Shemar Thomas verbally accosts a group of policemen when he thought they were being to aggressive towards protesters in Times Square
'This is not a war zone! These are unarmed people. It doesn't make you tough to hurt these people!'
Mr Thomas is qualified to make that distinction, having served in the Marine corps from 2003 and did two tours in Iraq, in 2004 and 2006, before being honourably discharged in 2007. During his time in Iraq, he served as the non-commission officer who ran a small detention facility in Rutbah, which earned him a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
In the video, it is clear that Mr Thomas is appalled by the police behaviour in Times Square, and lashes out at a group of about nine officers.
All about honour: Sgt Thomas yelled at officers saying they were acting dishonourably
'How do you do this to people? You're here to protect them! You're here to protect us! This is the United States!' Mr Thomas screamed.
'If you want to go hurt people, go to Iraq!'
'They don't have guns- why are you hurting these people?'
Family history: Four generations of Thomas' family have served the country, including 14 months he spent in Iraq
Mr Thomas later spoke on Keith Olberman's Current TV show Monday night to clarify his position, saying that there is a major difference between the level of acceptable behavoir in a peaceful protest and that of a warzone like he saw in Iraq.
'We had rocks thrown at us, after the rocks were thrown we didnt go beating up people and arresting people you know what I mean? We kind of treated it with a level of humility,' Mr Thomas said of his time in Iraq
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Starting young: Thomas said he spent time recruiting Marines, though now he and both his parents who 'have 20+ years' experience each are looking for other work
'I saw a cop punching a woman up in the face [in Times Square],' he continued.
'When the situation arises where the crowd starts getting frantic, thats when its time to say 'You know, the crowd is getting frantic'. When people are just shouting 'We are the 99 per cent, come join us,' these are not chants that incite violence,' Mr Thomas said Monday night.
Clashes: Mounted police stop Occupy Wall Street participants trying to break through police barricade set to stop them from taking their demonstration onto the street on Times Square
Police attempt to maintain order with megaphones and barricades amidst the crowds of Occupy Wall Street
More than 40 people were arrested in New York's Times Square as protesters jostled with police on Saturday after thousands marched from the city's Financial District to midtown Manhattan.
The protesters swamped Times Square, stopping traffic as the numbers swelled to 20,0000 in what was thought to be the largest 'Occupy' demonstration in the U.S. so far.
Though the videos of Mr Thomas do not show him ever being touched by officers, he seems to have been upset by their treatment to the other protesters.
In the heart of the Big Apple: Protesters cram into Times Square and are met with a heavy police presence
'How do you do this to people? You're here to protect them! You're here to protect us! This is the United States!' Mr Thomas screamed.
Mr Thomas' national pride is clear, as he touts both his own military service and that of his parents. His mother served in Iraq at the same time as he did in 2004, along with his father, step-father, and grandfather who have all worked in the military in various positions.
'My whole family protected this country!' Mr Thomas said in Times Square.
He thinks that it is important for him to wear his military uniform, even though he is no longer an active member of the Marine Corps, in order to encourage others to join the protests.
'I want to inspire the veterans to come out because a lot of veterans have this thing where they don't want to speak against the government. They're so trained like 'Oh no, speaking against the government is wrong because we have a chain of command'. I don't think its about a chain of command, it's about a way of life,' he said Monday.
SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2050347/Iraq-veteran-confronts-NYPD-Times-Square-Occupy-protest.html
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