ON THE WEB BOSTON MOBILIZATION www.bostonmobilization.org DIRECT DEMOCRACY NOW www.directdemocracynow.org  REALVIDEO 'Boston TV Party' debate protest. [Watch it now] This video clip is viewed using RealPlayer. Get RealPlayer | Help This and other video can be viewed directly from http://www.necn.com  COVERAGE ADVISORY Boston.com will carry live streaming video of the debate tomorrow evening, courtesy New England Cable News.

They weren't alone in criticizing some aspects of the nation's first presidential debate between Republican nominee George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore. Thousands of protesters from across the political spectrum converged on the city, hoping to grab a bit of the media spotlight for a variety of causes.

Seniors rallied against costly prescription drugs. Death penalty foes planned a march across the city. Students at the University of Massachusetts, the site of Tuesday's debate, demanded reimbursement for the two days the campus will be shut down for the event.

Even so-called "porcine pranksters" -- people in pig suits -- planned to cruise the debate site promoting vegetarianism.

Most protesters say they want to bring attention to topics they believe won't be included in the debate -- from affordable housing to increased wages.

"This is a phony debate," said Scott Cooper of the Boston Coalition for Mumia Abu-Jamal, an anti-death penalty group working for the release of a death-row inmate convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer.

Police are hoping to group protesters into designated areas, or "protest pens" -- a plan criticized by activists.

"We're just insulted by that. People are being told when and where they can protest," said Wells Wilkinson of Boston Mobilization for Survival, which is helping organize many of the protests.

Police said the protest areas are needed to ensure security.

"It is not a pen. It is a very public area and it is a good-sized area," State Police Captain Robert Bird said. "Personally, I think they'll be very happy there. It's a very visible place."

Streets near the University of Massachusetts will be closed and access to the campus limited, but the rights of protesters will be respected, Bird said.

Absent from many of the groups is the heightened tension associated with the World Trade Organization meeting protests in Seattle earlier this year, which ended in rioting and arrests. Some who participated in the Seattle protests have already arrived in Boston.

Denis Moynihan, who had been a spokesman for Direct Action Network protesters in Seattle, predicted the Boston protests would not result in the same level of confrontation.

"It's going to be kind of a party. There might be some people ... who feel inclined to disrupt it, but I don't know of any particular plans," he said.

Other groups said they planned to use street theater, political discussions and music to broadcast their messages.

Supporters of third party candidates focused their anger on the national media and the Commission on Presidential Debates, which barred candidates who failed to win support from 15 percent of voters in polls.

About 30 protesters boarded the Boston Tea Party ship and tossed overboard television sets with the names of networks and the Democratic and Republican parties taped to the front.

"We're not getting the whole story, we're just getting this little scripted thing," said Olivia Rue, a backer of Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.

Gary Zabel, a professor of philosophy, helped lead a protest outside the office of the president of the University of Massachusetts. Zabel said teachers and students were upset about being "expelled" from the campus Monday and Tuesday.

"I had planned to give an exam on Thursday and I planned to use Tuesday to prepare students for that exam," Zabel said.

Not all protesters are planning to criticize the candidates. Union organizers hope to turn out thousands of workers to cheer on Gore.

"He's the candidate for the people," Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert J. Haynes said.

Bush and Gore planned to address supporters immediately after the debate, the two campaigns said. Bush is scheduled to visit supporters gathered at an ice skating rink in South Boston. Gore is expected to stop in at a debate party at the Park Plaza hotel in downtown Boston.