Santorum’s office tries to silence disent. Shocking.

A Philadelphia judge yesterday acquitted 14 antiwar activists arrested in September when they tried to present a peace declaration at the Center City office of then-Sen. Rick Santorum.

Municipal Court Judge Marsha Neifeld announced the not-guilty verdicts after the nonjury trial, ruling that there was not sufficient evidence to prove the 14 committed criminal trespass in the Sept. 26 incident.

“I think this shows that opposition will be heard and that opposition [to the war] needs to continue,” said Robert M. Smith, one of the 14 defendants. Smith is a veteran antiwar demonstrator from Swarthmore and longtime spokesman for the Brandywine Peace Community.

Smith said that five of the 14 represented themselves at trial and that the other nine were represented by Paul J. Hetznecker and Paul Messing, two Center City lawyers known for defending First Amendment-related criminal cases.