A protest at a dinner held by the politically conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, apparently turned physical Wednesday night after a small group of Occupy Santa Fe protesters went inside the Eldorado hotel and disrupted the event.

According to several legislators who were at the dinner, a female guest of state Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Albuquerque, was struck in the eye by a piece of cardboard -- actually a satirical "dinner menu and program" created by protesters. According to legislators, she suffered a scratched cornea.

Rehm declined comment, but a spokeswoman for New Mexico House Republicans who talked to him said Rehm's guest's eye is being monitoring and was improving Thursday.

It was the second time a legislative function has been disrupted by Occupy protesters this year. Last week protesters were evicted from the House gallery at the Capitol when they tried to shout over Gov. Susana Martinez's State of the State address.

The incident at the downtown Santa Fe hotel was denounced by members of both political parties, including some who have expressed sympathy with positions espoused by Occupy participants. Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, said the action made the protesters look like their opponents' caricature of the Occupy movement.

Jeff Haas, who identified himself as a spokesman for the protesters, said in an email to The New Mexican, "While Occupy believes that confrontation and civil disobedience are often effective as demonstrated by Dr. King and Rosa Parks, we regret that anyone was injured last night by either flying paper or rough treatment by hotel security or ALEC members. Fortunately the injuries were minor compared to the devastation to people and the environment caused by ALEC legislation."

But Sen. Eric Griego, an Albuquerque Democrat who has been sympathetic to the Occupy movement, said on the Senate floor that such an incident "undermines Martin Luther King and César Chávez. I stand with my colleagues who say we can't tolerate this behavior."

Haas said photographer Lisa Law of Santa Fe, who was with the protesters, was "roughed up by hotel security and ALEC members who sought to grab her camera," Law said in a YouTube posting that she was "attacked from the back" and "ended up with a bloody hand and a very stiff and sore neck, arm and back." She said she made a police report regarding her injury.

No arrests were made. In a Santa Fe police report on the incident, no suspects were named.

Rep. Paul Bandy, R-Farmington, who is a state co-chairman of ALEC, told reporters that he arrived early to the dinner so he could talk with protesters outside of the hotel. He said the discussion was cordial.

After the main protest group outside dispersed, some protesters came inside to the hotel bar, Bandy said.

About the time the ALEC guests were eating their salads in the Eldorado's Old House restaurant, a small group of protesters entered, Bandy said. Estimates of the number ranged from three to seven, with "at least three of them really carrying on," Bandy said.

A female protester began flinging the cardboard fake menus. Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell, said they were about the size of a large Christmas card. Sen. Clint Harden, R-Clovis, said protesters were "hurling the cards like karate stars."

Kintigh, a retired FBI agent, said Rehm stood up to confront the protester when his guest was struck by the envelope. He was backed up by Kintigh, who said he placed his hands on the female protester who had tossed the item and escorted her out of the door.

Several legislators in the House and the Senate blasted the protesters.

Senate Republican Whip Bill Payne, the other ALEC state co-chairman, said the incident was the "worst thing I've ever seen in Santa Fe." Besides the protesters, Payne also criticized the hotel security, Santa Fe police and "the tenor of the press" in Santa Fe. He specifically mentioned recent New Mexican articles about the American Legislative Exchange Council and lobbyist expenses.

Sen. John Ryan, R-Albuquerque, said many groups engage in responsible, peaceful protests, but when any group resorts to violence, "it's our responsibility to call them out."

Egolf agreed with other legislators about the Eldorado incident. "When folks start crossing the line, getting in people's faces and throwing things, it's deplorable," he said. "And it's extremely counterproductive. Now you can't have a conversation on issues like economic disparity and leveling the playing field." Instead, he said, the issue is personal safety at legislative functions and the behavior of the protesters.

Without naming him, some House Republicans criticized statements about ALEC made by Egolf in a story published Monday.

"I believe in free speech and individual liberty," Bandy told reporters. But public officials, he said, "need to be awful careful about inciting people to violence."

Egolf was quoted in the article as saying that ALEC "is the truest embodiment of all the things that people who care about keeping corporate money out of politics, preserving our democracy and keeping our air, land and water clean fear most."

On Thursday Egolf said, "Everything I said about the organization and issues. ... I didn't make any comment about any members."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.