Recreate 68 is an umbrella group of leftist American political groups that protested at the August 2008 Democratic National Convention

2008 Democratic National Convention

The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...

 in Denver, Colorado

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

 and 2008 Republican National Convention.

Intentions

The group stated it would "make the 1968 Democratic National conventions protests look small in comparison". In March 2008, the group lost a lottery drawing for a permit to stage protests in the Civic Center, and the spokesman for the group, Glenn Spagnuolo, stated he would not "give up Civic Center to the Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

s", and that the city was creating a "dangerous situation."

Groups involved or supporting

Leslie Cagan, who heads the anti-war group United for Peace and Justice, has endorsed the planned demonstrations in Denver. Code Pink

Code Pink

Code Pink: Women for Peace is an anti-war group that is mainly composed of women. It has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and many more chapters in the U.S. as well as several in other countries...

 will participate in the rallies, hoping to pressure Democratic majorities in the U. S. Congress to do more to end the war in Iraq.

Reaction

Denver city officials met with the groups leaders in late June 2008, hoping to minimize conflict, and considered a resolution created by the group, guaranteeing their first amendment rights during the convention week.

Some left wing political pundits criticized the group and its planned activities, saying that the events they wished to recreate were not beneficial for either the anti-war movement or Democratic Party in the United States. The group rejected allegations that they intend to re-create the violence of the 1968 convention riots, stating "We don’t call ourselves ‘Re-create Chicago ’68,'"