Decatur - The US civil rights activist, the Rev Jesse Jackson, was arrested by police yesterday as he embarked on a civil disobedience campaign to protest at the expulsion of six black youths, a spokeswoman said.
Mr Jackson, who has been leading a drive to have the youths reinstated in school, led a crowd onto the grounds of Eisenhower School, in Decatur, Illinois. He was promptly seized by police, dozens of whom had been placed on duty at three schools in the town for "security reasons". Mr Jackson was charged with criminal trespass but later released along with two aides, said Ms Macey Morales, deputy spokeswoman for Mr Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH coalition.