Protest permit applications show many protests planned outside the so-called "free speech zone" next to the FleetCenter. The zone ensures protesters are allowed within sight and sound of delegates, but many are branching out.

For instance, The Boston Globe reports the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue will hold a vigil outside John Kerry's Beacon Hill home.

The New England Anti-Vivisection Society plans to distribute "Cruelty-Free Living Kits" downtown.

In Copley Square, a group called Boston Mobilization will use wooden frames with wire mesh to simulate prison cells at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Mayor Thomas Menino's spokesman said Menino welcomes the demonstrations as part of a lively democracy.