State Senator Stephen F. Lynch angrily answered critics last night who questioned his free legal defense of the perpetrators of a violent and racist attack in 1994, saying he was a "peacemaker" who provided legal counsel to 14 white teenagers who were found to have harassed and abused a white girl and her Hispanic boyfriend.

Lynch was responding to pointed remarks from state Senators Cheryl A. Jacques and Brian A. Joyce on hate crimes, which came at a rare point of disagreement among the eight candidates at the forum.

Lynch agreed, telling the sparse crowd that increased flights to Boston would likely travel over Roxbury, which he said already suffers from the noise pollution from five flight paths that traverse the neighborhood's skies.