Feature Archives

On Friday April 9th, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held its annual demonstration in remembrance of the Deir Yassin Massacre of 1948. Photos: 1 2

Past SJP Protests at UCB: 3/7/2001 | 4/24/2001 | 4/9/2002 Deir Yassin Protest | 10/2003 Checkpoint protest | 5/2002 Protests | 10/16/2002 | 11/19/2002 Barak Protest
Students for Justice In Palestine | Deir Yassin Remembered | Stop The Wall

4/10/2004: On Saturday, over one thousand people took to the streets of San Francisco to protest the war in Iraq. On Friday, there was a protest at the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab. As a countrywide uprising sweeps Iraq, the Bush administration and the Pentagon are responding with unprecedented violence directed against the Iraqi people, and threatening to raise the number of U.S. troops. Emergency protests, demanding "U.S. Out of Iraq - Bring the Troops Home NOW!", have taken place in cities across the country and around the world.
San Francisco Photos:   1  2  3  4  5  6   Video: 1  2  3 | Livermore Photos | NYC Photos | LA Photos

4/6/2004: The first major uprising against the US occupation of Iraq has begun. The revolt was sparked by the closure of a paper tied to Al-Sadr, a Shiite fundamentalist cleric, but it has now spread across Iraq. According to Raed Jarrar, "Al-Sadr is NOT reflecting a minority of Iraqis ... Al-Sadr has 5 to 7 million supporters. [P]eople feel that their personality, history and culture are being attacked ... All of these military steps that Bremer is taking now remind Iraqis of the Palestinian crisis...the thing happening in Iraq right now, killing hundreds of Iraqis and dozens of coalition soldiers, is NOT just another mob. It is an uprising." -Raed in the Middle
Photos from Independent Reporters | Democracy Now Report | Audio From Flashpoints
Timeline of Latest Events and more Iraq War Coverage on Indybay's International Page

Over 600 members of the US armed forces have died as a result of the invasion of Iraq with deaths effecting families in every US state. The Pentagon now says that in the first year of war in Iraq, the military made over 18,000 medical evacuations - representing 11,700 casualties. But even this number could be low since the military is increasingly outsourcing jobs and using private contractors as mercenaries. The exact number of Iraqis who have died as a result of the US occupation is not known, but Iraqi Body Count has documented 7,350 deaths which resulted directly from coalition military actions just "during the "major-combat" phase prior to May 1st 2003".

On Wednesday March 31st, four American contractors in Iraq were burned alive and had their bodies dragged through the streets of Fallujah before being hung from a bridge as a large crowd consisting largely of young children chanted that Fallujah would be America's graveyard. "The Group of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin" claimed responsibility for the attack, "saying it was retribution for the controversial Israeli assassination last month of the spiritual leader of Hamas".

Although some corporate media sources are trying to pretend that the situation in Fallujah is unique, anti-American sentiments are growing in all parts of Iraq. In the North, Kurds have been calling for their own state and many are not happy with the idea of a future where they have less autonomy than they did before the US invasion. In addition, Turkey is pressuring the US to attack remnants of the PKK who have setup camps in Northern Iraq and have widespread support among the Iraqi Kurds. In the South, there is growing anger among the Shi'as against the US due to high unemployment rates and dislike for the US imposed constitution. In central Iraq, many Sunnis are worried that they will be marginalized under any future government.

Iraqis News Updates: Electronic Iraq | Lunaville News | Iraq Today | MEMRI | Iraq Daily | AlterNet | US Crusade
Iraqi Blogs: Salam Pax | Baghdad Burning | Raed | A Family In Baghdad | Back To Iraq | Wildfire
Reports From Bay Area Journalists and Activists Who Have Visited Iraq: 1 | 2

Reports: 1 | 2 | Video:  1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 Audio:  1 | 2
Photos:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19
Legal Updates:  1 | 2 | 3 | 3/23: Charges against 7 dropped
At 2PM, over 500 people gathered at Polk and Grove for a breakaway march from the mornings massive anti-war demonstration. Hundreds of police flanked the march as it left Civic Center and moved towards the financial district. As the crowd ran onto Market St., around 25 people in the center of the crowd got surrounded by the police near 5th St. before being told that if they didnt clear the street they would be "subject to being hit with police battons". Among those trapped by the police was Brian Avery, an ISM actvist who was shot in the head in Israel (4/12/2003) by the defense forces there. As the crowd chanted for the release of those who were surrounded, a few protesters taunted an officer with a stick resulting in the police charging and hitting the entire crowd on the sidewalk. While one protester managed to break free from police custody, the police slowly arrested most of those who were surrounded, putting them into police vans and a police bus. While this was going on, much of the crowd moved up a side street to get away. Even after everyone had moved onto the sidewalk, the police moved in and hit several people with battons. About an hour later as the crowd dwindled and the marchers were returning on the sidewalk to Market St, a police motorcycle was knocked over and as the police charged the crowd, several protesters and an Indybay videographer were tackled and arrested by the police.
Later Saturday night, there was a jail solidarity protest at 850 Bryant Street. Police formed a barrier around the protesters demanding the release of the estimated 80 prisoners inside. Police also continued their strategy of targetted harassment by picking protesters with masks out of the solidarity vigil in front, detaining and photographing them "under the Patriot Act," including a NLG legal observer. At least one person was arrested at the jail. One protester who was targetted and plucked out of the crowd was held on a $26,000 bond. The NLG/Legal Team has documented 99 arrests total for Friday 3/19 and Saturday 3/20, but there may still be people who have not yet contacted the legal office. Everyone is out of jail. There were 3 confirmed injuries- 2 broken arms and 1 broken thumb. Two people are being charged with felonies.
Full breaking news coverage from SF March 20th Antiwar protest

Tens of thousands of people converged on San Francisco to say no to war and occupation. The SF protest included a breakaway march of at least 500 people. Demonstrators included contingents from ANSWER, Not In Our Name, Code Pink, the Green Party, various Socialist groups, groups demanding an end to the occupations in Haiti, Iraq, and Palestine, bike activists, LGBT activists, people opposed to US troops in the Phillipines, Korea and Japan, supporters of women prisoners, supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal, groups focusing on September 11th and activists working to bring better jobs, education and healthcare to the bay area.
3/20 March & Rally - Reports: 1 Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 Video: 1 Audio: 1 | 2
In San Jose, protesters marched through the downtown and there was at least one arrest.
In Fresno, hundreds marched and the leader of Peace Fresno was arrested for asking a cop to stop blocking a sign. Photos: 1 | Videos: 1
Elsewhere in California, there were protests in Chico, Fresno, Eureka (Report | Photos), Bakersfield, San Diego, Visalia and Los Angeles.
Read more about Central Valley anti-war protests
There were anti-war rallies in major cities across the US and around the world. The largest US protests were in New York City, Portland, Seattle and Chicago. Elsewhere there were protests across Oceania, including rallies in Brisbane, Sydney, Manila, and Tokyo. In Europe there were large protests in London, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Dublin and Brussels. There were even protests in Baghdad and near Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas.

3/21, 2:00am: The IMC videographer who was violently arrested earlier this evening has been released from the hospital. Aside from the huge welt inflicted by police batons on his forehead, he was treated for a splintered bone in his hand.
3/20, 7:30pm: A jail solidarity protest has been underway at 850 Bryant Street for a couple of hours. Police formed a barrier around the protesters demanding the release of the estimated 80 prisoners inside. Police also continued their strategy of targetted harassment by picking protesters with masks out of the solidarity vigil in front, detaining and photographing them "under the Patriot Act," including a NLG legal observer. At least one person was arrested at the jail. One protester who was targetted in today's march and plucked out of the crowd has not been cited out yet and is currently being held on a $26,000 bond. This kind of repression is a repeat of last year's targetted arrest of one DASW organizer, who was also plucked from a march, after being told that "(the police) have been looking for you".
Most of the arrests were made on Market Street, while many arrests were very violent resulting in several serious injuries and a trip to the emergency room for a confirmed broken arm for one man. In addition, the IMC videographer is asking for medical help for head and hand injuries.
3/20, 4:35pm: The bloodied protester has been loaded into the back of a fire department paramedic van full of police, while the other arrestees, including the IMC reporter, have been taken away in Sheriff's van #631. One report is that a police motorcycle was overturned, and the police ran after a man they suspected of having toppled it. They snagged the wrong man and beat him senseless. When the IMC videographer came over to videotape the arrest, he was thrown to the ground and arrested as well, along with three other witnesses.
3/20, 4:27pm: Market/Jones: The update now is that at least five people have been arrested, including one man who has been severely beaten bloody and needs medical help. The estimate coming in is 50-60 police and 20 witnesses on one side of the police line and 20 people on the other side of the police line. The arrestees are two women and three men, one of them being an IMC videographer with a clearly-displayed SFPD press pass. Ambulances cannot get through to administer medical aid. The man who has been beaten bloody is crying that the police have broken his arm. The IMC reporter and the two women are being booked and loaded into the back of the Sheriff's van.
3/20, 4:25pm: The police have chosen to single out three protesters who were attempting to cross the street, as the band-led march clashes onto Market Street. The three protesters were jumped on and pushed into the ground, in addition to a fourth man and IMC reporter who has been tackled, thrown to the ground, beaten in the face and arrested. Photographers were able to document a silver dollar-sized welt on his forehead.
3/20, 4:20pm: The breakaway march split into two groups: the contingent in front of Nordstram's of about 50 is slowly being arrested by police still. Another group led by INB is now marching up Jones on the sidewalk approaching Market Street.
3/20, 4:00pm: The Infernal Noise Brigade has led people to Ellis and Taylor, where reports are coming in that motorcyle police are separating around 200 people onto two separate sides of the street. We also received unconfirmed reports that three police cars were surrounded on Eddy Street.
3/20, 3:30pm: The police are now rushing the rest of the crowd with riot gear. People are reporting battery with nightsticks and cops on bikes. They are being instructed to get on the sidewalk, but before they can, they are being beaten down onto the ground.
3/20, 3:20pm: According to reports, the breakaway march was stopped at 6th Street and Market by police, and after being surrounded, a handful of people have attempted to break through police lines and have escaped. The police have issued a warning that protesters will be "subject to batons" if they do not disperse, and around 20-30 protesters are now being arrested.
3/20, 3:12pm The police have surrounded the protesters about 2 deep and have apparently surrounded an even smaller group of protesters about five deep. Protesters are chanting, "Let them go! Let them go!"
3/20, 3:05pm: The breakaway march has begun to form a mass of over 500 people on Market Street between Nordstram's department store and Mason/Turk. The police are issuing an order to disperse.
3/20, 2:52pm: According to reports, the breakaway march is heading east down Turk between Hyde and Leavenworth, complete with police escort.
3/20, 2:50pm: Police officials are estimating that around 2,000 people have splintered away from the main mass in Civic Center Plaza and are taking off down Larkin Street.
3/20, 2:35pm: While the crowd listens to Woody Harrelson speak, more people are still spilling into Civic Center Plaza.
3/20, 2:20pm: The National Lawyers Guild has called into the radio station asking that people call their legal hotline for help with any legal problems stemming from actions at today's protest. The number is: 415-285-1011.
3/20, 2:15pm: Police have formed a diagonal line through the crowd of thousands crowding into the intersection of Polk and Grove. It appears that they are trying to restrict anyone from the main march from splitting off and joining any breakaway marches.
3/20, 2 pm: Photos Report of 6 different breakaway groups forming up.
3/20, 1:15pm: March is at Van Ness and Market Street, with a confirmed report from ANSWER officials that the march is 50,000+ people, with both sides of Market Street completely shut down. About 200 police officers are marching at the front of the march, on the right side of the street, refusing to allow people to join the march from the right. They are creating a protective shield in front of the businesses lining the right side of the street, but don't seem too concerned about damage to any of the low-income housing units on the left side of Market. Call-outs are being made for people to break loose from the restrictive march and meet back up at 2pm for the breakaway march.
3/20, 12:35pm: A large Bikes Not Bombs contingent is forming at 16th/Mission and heading towards downtown in 10 minutes.
3/20, 12:25pm: The crowd count has now been updated to 20,000 as people pass 18th/Mission St., with masses of people still trying to leave Dolores Park. The Infernal Noise Brigade has come down all the way from Seattle to join in the festivities and amp up the crowd and is winding its way towards the front of the march. People of color contingents are continuing to regroup, with Students for Justice in Palestine calling for an end, not only to the occupation in Iraq, but also in Palestine. One group has constructed a giant mock-up of the Israeli Apartheid Wall and is marching alongside the masses of people.
3/20, 12:15pm: The Strength and Unity people of color contingent is holding its own, merging their feeder march from 24th/Mission into the mass, with veteran civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama leading the way.
3/20, 12:05pm: As the Haiti Action Committee finishes its rallying cry for action against the US backed coup and occupation of Haiti, tens of thousands of people are spilling out onto the streets bordering Dolores Park, a teeming mass of wall-to-wall people. Definitely bigger than the October 25 march, people are starting to get in formation on Dolores Street, with a huge contingent of people packed in front of Mission High on 18th Street. The crowd is very diverse, ranging from young children to elders, and men and women and radical gender queers from all walks of life.