Sun Apr 03, 2016 at 12:07 am

By Tim Sawyier and Lawrence A. Johnson

A group of around a hundred student protestors rushed into Symphony Center Saturday night in an unsuccessful attempt to disrupt the evening’s Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert.

The demonstration began at 7:45 when dozens of college-age protestors forced their way into the hall. Some sported neon crossing guard vests and many carried placards that read “Millionaires Pay Your Fair Share!” And “Support Education–Tax Large Corporations.”

ABC7 Eyewitness News reports the group to be members of IIRON and the IIRON Student Network. The website of the latter says the group “trains students to understand, build, and exercise power through collective action.” Their signs called for an end to college cuts and demanded more student tuition in Illinois.

Altercations with Symphony Center ticket takers ensued shortly before the curtain time as members of the group blocked doors to allow others to pass into the first floor lobby area. “You need a ticket to be in there!” one exasperated ticket collector shouted.

Once inside the group’s members engaged in call-and-response chants with a leader wielding a megaphone. The commotion was heard as far up as the lower balcony foyer, but not inside Orchestra Hall itself.

Some of the demonstrators managed to enter the hall. Small groups of protestors advanced to the front of the terrace seating behind the stage and attempted to unfurl banners, but these efforts were unsuccessful. One side of the banner on stage right fell down before being abandoned and removed, showing the names of Sam Zell and Governor Bruce Rauner.

Several patrons blocked the protestors’ actions on stage left, wrestling with them for control of their banner. Before it could be unfurled it was yanked down firmly to the stage by CSO trumpeter John Hagstrom, who received grateful applause from audience members.

The performance itself, conducted by Susanna Mälkki and featuring violinist Gil Shaham, began on schedule and was not disturbed or interrupted. By intermission all the protestors had been dispersed.

The CSO released a brief, cryptic statement on the event late Saturday night: “Student protestors dispersed as concert got underway tonight.”

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