Outside the hall, hundreds of protesters argued that Ashcroft's act defied the civil liberties that the early patriots sought to protect during debates at Faneuil Hall two centuries ago.
''Shame, shame, shame,'' they chanted as Ashcroft was whisked away through the barricades in a car with tinted windows.
''This is eroding our liberties,'' said Christine Downing, 58, of the Charlestown section of Boston. ''It's an end run around the Bill of Rights.''
The crowd, which gathered at 8 a.m. and chanted throughout Ashcroft's speech, carried signs saying: ''Ashcroft's Patriot Act: The work of a traitor'', ''Be a real patriot oppose the Patriot Act'' and ''Ashcroft more evil than Steinbrenner,'' a reference to the owner of the New York Yankees.
Boston City Police estimate there were 1,200 protesters on hand outside Faneuil Hall during Ashcroft's speech.
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