Anti-Iraq War Activists Hold Festival, Protests

War veterans, music lovers, and a presidential hopeful are holding protests Wednesday near the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Anti-war activists, led by the group Iraq Veterans Against the War, have given out at least 8,000 tickets to a free music festival, known as the Tent State Festival to End the War, featuring the hard rock group, Rage Against the Machine.

Third-party presidential hopeful Ralph Nader has also announced plans for a rally Wednesday night. Speakers expected at the rally include Hollywood actors Sean Penn and Val Kilmer, as well as anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

Demonstrations at the convention have so far been smaller than anticipated, and news reports from Denver suggest there are more police than protesters in the city.

The exception was Monday night, when activists clashed with police outside of Denver's City Hall. Police fired tear gas and arrested some 50 demonstrators accused of blocking public roads.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.