Thirty Puerto Rican nationalists demanding freedom for four Puerto Rican terrorists occupied the Statue of Liberty for eight hours yesterday, chasing tourists out of its inner passageways and locking themselves inside.
Eight hours atter occupying tne statue and draping a Puerto Rican flag from its crown and a banner calling for the independence of Puerto Rico across its pedestal, the group was arrested by Federal authorities without violence. A spokesman for the United Stales Park Police indicated that members of the group would be charged with trespassing on Federal property.
Deputy Chief Hugh Groves of the United States Park Police, commander of field operations, flew to New York City from Washington to supervise the arrest of the demonstrators. He said that when the statue was retaken by Park Police the demonstrators had been very cooperative and that the oniy damage had been the breaking of a glass door.
“If there's such a thing as being a pleasure to work with, why those people, were,” he said.
Park police said that the demonstrators had been given seven offers of amnesty by the Federal authorities before they were finally arrested, at around 6 P.M.
Cutting Off Traffic
! Shortly after the takeover began, at 9:30 A.M., the Park Police and the Coast !Guard moved quickly to cut off all tourist traffic to the island, and vessels occur ‘ pied by reporters were kept 500 yards away.
But, because a quick blockade by tile authorities thwarted that plan, it was the support group at the Battery that held a news conference and numerous press briefings to speak on behalf of the Liberty Island protesters.
They were expressed most often by Vicente Alba, a former member of the Young Lords political party. He was arrested last August on what later turned out to be misinformation that he might be connected with the F.A.L.N., which has claimed responsibility for setting off bombs in New York City.
Mr. Alba said that he and the Liberty Island protesters, known as the Committee to Free the Five Puerto Rican Nationalists, wanted the four nationalists still in jail for shooting up the House of Representatives in 1952 set free.
The 91‐year‐old statue has been the site of several other protest demonstrations in recent years.
Puerto Rican flag hanging from the Statue of Liberty after it was occupied by nationalist group yesterday
