While asking U.S. Senator John Kerry a question during a question and answer period on September 17th following Kerry's speech at the University of Florida, Gainesville in Alachua County, student Andrew Meyer was attacked by police officers, manhandled and tasered. Videos posted on the Internet show Meyer screaming for help as he is being tasered by a police stun gun. Kerry and the majority of the audience looked on mostly in silence.

After holding up, recommending and discussing Armed Madhouse, a book by Greg Palast, the investigative journalist who uncovered the massive, systematic and utterly illegal disenfranchisement of Black voters in Alachua County, Florida, during the 2000 election, Meyer had three questions for the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate. Meyer's first question to Kerry was, "How could you concede the election on the day?" Then he asked why Kerry didn’t call for impeaching Bush before Bush attacks Iran. Meyer's final question was if Kerry was a member of Skull and Bones, the secret society at Yale University, along with George Bush.

The microphone was cut on Meyers and then several officers pulled him from the podium. While Meyers was asking questions about the arrest, the police threw him to the ground and tasered him. Next, the police physically removed Meyer from the forum and told him that he was being arrested for trying to "incite a riot." He was later charged with a felony for resisting arrest with violence and a misdemeanor of disrupting the peace. Meyer was released from jail in the morning of September 18th, and plans to fight to have all charges dismissed.

On September 18th, at the University of Florida, more than 200 people held a solidarity picket with the detainee and against the limiting of free speech and the use of tasers by university police. Banners were carried saying “Freedom of speech is not a crime”, “Stop using tasers”. Firing the security guards from the university was also demanded. Read more and watch videos

International Students for Social Equality condemns police assault on UF student | Taser incident threatens campus culture