Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Anti-War Protest on Both Coasts
Thousands of Protesters Huddle at Foot of Washington Monument Demanding End to Iraq Occupation.
To chants of "Impeach Bush," thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in the nation's capital Saturday and delivered a scathing critique of President Bush and his Iraq policy.
Demanding an end to the U.S.-led occupation and the quick return of American troops, the demonstrators gathered on a sunny fall day at the Washington Monument to listen to speeches and songs of peace.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who's running for the Democratic presidential nomination, exhorted the crowd not to be content with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
"Don't give bush $87 billion, don't give him 87 cents, give our troops a ride home," Sharpton said to loud cheers from the crowd.
The protest drew a diverse crowd young, old, veterans, relatives with loved ones in the armed forces and American Muslims. They waved signs reading "Make Jobs Not War" and "Bush is a liar" as they marched in a giant circle toward the White House, on to the Justice Department and then back to the Washington Monument.
The Secret Service placed obstacles to keep the protesters from marching directly in front of the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. Bush was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
Michael McPhearson, a veteran from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, denounced the president, saying he had misled the nation. "You have butchered the truth, George Bush."
Organizers expected more than 30,000 would turn out for the protest, but the crowd which filled the area between the monument and the Ellipse near the White House appeared much smaller.
Because the U.S. Park Police no longer issues crowd estimates, the size of the crowd could not be verified.
International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice, which organized the protest, also planned a mass demonstration in San Francisco for later in the day.
Some demonstrators at the Washington rally acknowledged that the crowd was lighter than previous protests during and before the war.
"Now, I think it's more regroup, rethink," said Army veteran Tom Palumbo of Norfolk, Va.
At one point during the afternoon, a shouting match erupted between an anti-war crowd and counterdemonstrators holding "Trust Jesus" signs. Police moved in on horses to separate the two sides. No arrests were made.
Before the rally, about 200 protesters played songs, listened to drummers and rallied for peace in a park about 20 blocks north of the White House. The crowd at the Black Voices for Peace rally then marched down past the White House to join the larger demonstration at the Washington Monument.
The D.C. chapter of Free Republic, an independent grass-roots conservative group, gathered dozens of people at the U.S. Capitol to show support for Bush and the troops in Iraq.
"Whether or not the war should have started is a moot point," said Eric Campbell, a 32-year-old who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "We have to stay if anything for the Iraqi people."
Associated Press writers Jesse J. Holland and Elizabeth Wolfe in Washington and Mielikki Org in San Francisco contributed to this report.
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/298/wash/Anti_war_protesters_rally_in_W:.shtml
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Demanding an end to the U.S.-led occupation and the quick return of American troops, the demonstrators gathered on a sunny fall day at the Washington Monument to listen to speeches and songs of peace.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who's running for the Democratic presidential nomination, exhorted the crowd not to be content with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
"Don't give bush $87 billion, don't give him 87 cents, give our troops a ride home," Sharpton said to loud cheers from the crowd.
The protest drew a diverse crowd young, old, veterans, relatives with loved ones in the armed forces and American Muslims. They waved signs reading "Make Jobs Not War" and "Bush is a liar" as they marched in a giant circle toward the White House, on to the Justice Department and then back to the Washington Monument.
The Secret Service placed obstacles to keep the protesters from marching directly in front of the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue. Bush was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
Michael McPhearson, a veteran from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, denounced the president, saying he had misled the nation. "You have butchered the truth, George Bush."
Organizers expected more than 30,000 would turn out for the protest, but the crowd which filled the area between the monument and the Ellipse near the White House appeared much smaller.
Because the U.S. Park Police no longer issues crowd estimates, the size of the crowd could not be verified.
International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice, which organized the protest, also planned a mass demonstration in San Francisco for later in the day.
Some demonstrators at the Washington rally acknowledged that the crowd was lighter than previous protests during and before the war.
"Now, I think it's more regroup, rethink," said Army veteran Tom Palumbo of Norfolk, Va.
At one point during the afternoon, a shouting match erupted between an anti-war crowd and counterdemonstrators holding "Trust Jesus" signs. Police moved in on horses to separate the two sides. No arrests were made.
Before the rally, about 200 protesters played songs, listened to drummers and rallied for peace in a park about 20 blocks north of the White House. The crowd at the Black Voices for Peace rally then marched down past the White House to join the larger demonstration at the Washington Monument.
The D.C. chapter of Free Republic, an independent grass-roots conservative group, gathered dozens of people at the U.S. Capitol to show support for Bush and the troops in Iraq.
"Whether or not the war should have started is a moot point," said Eric Campbell, a 32-year-old who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "We have to stay if anything for the Iraqi people."
Associated Press writers Jesse J. Holland and Elizabeth Wolfe in Washington and Mielikki Org in San Francisco contributed to this report.
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/298/wash/Anti_war_protesters_rally_in_W:.shtml
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
For more information:
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,...
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
quoting you "Organizers expected more than 30,000 would turn out for the protest, but the crowd which filled the area between the monument and the Ellipse near the White House appeared much smaller. "
response - Actually the "crowd" was very tiny. Many were onlookers and actually there were more reporters then protestors. It ended early with the participants eating burgers at local bistros with more vigor then denouncing Bush.
Reporting just the facts ma'am.......
response - Actually the "crowd" was very tiny. Many were onlookers and actually there were more reporters then protestors. It ended early with the participants eating burgers at local bistros with more vigor then denouncing Bush.
Reporting just the facts ma'am.......
quoting you "Organizers expected more than 30,000 would turn out for the protest, but the crowd which filled the area between the monument and the Ellipse near the White House appeared much smaller. "
response - Actually the "crowd" was very tiny. Many were onlookers and actually there were more reporters then protestors. It ended early with the participants eating burgers at local bistros with more vigor then denouncing Bush.
Reporting just the facts ma'am.......
response - Actually the "crowd" was very tiny. Many were onlookers and actually there were more reporters then protestors. It ended early with the participants eating burgers at local bistros with more vigor then denouncing Bush.
Reporting just the facts ma'am.......
"Of course, I cannot speak for the Iraqis. But after spending four of the past six months talking to Iraqis, I do feel that it is relatively safe to make the following five points:
One, most Iraqis do not want America to leave now or very soon.
Two, while it is true that a huge proportion of Iraqis have at least some very negative opinions about the war and life here since, it is also true that a huge proportion of those opinions boil down to anger at the Americans for not being enough of a presence here, not anger at the Americans for being too much of a presence.
Three, there is very little to support the notion that Iraqis would be, or feel, notably better off under United Nations occupation than under a United States–led occupation.
Four, although the Bush administration should be hung out to dry for whatever it has lied about, it is widely accepted here that various of their pet assertions happen to coincide with the truth. Iraqis do not need Mr. Bush to tell them that most of the troublemakers here are not resistance fighters, but highly paid, often imported thugs; Iraqis have been saying that from the start.
Fifth, a steady stream of terrible events has generated a steady stream of legitimately negative news stories about Iraq, the sum effect of which seems to have been to leave the rest of the world with the impression that Iraq now appears in the dictionary next to "unqualified disaster"; that hardly anything is improving here, and that hardly anyone is or feels any better off than he or she did before the war. This impression is false."
http://www2.observer.com/observer/pages/frontpage4.asp
Read for yourself.
One, most Iraqis do not want America to leave now or very soon.
Two, while it is true that a huge proportion of Iraqis have at least some very negative opinions about the war and life here since, it is also true that a huge proportion of those opinions boil down to anger at the Americans for not being enough of a presence here, not anger at the Americans for being too much of a presence.
Three, there is very little to support the notion that Iraqis would be, or feel, notably better off under United Nations occupation than under a United States–led occupation.
Four, although the Bush administration should be hung out to dry for whatever it has lied about, it is widely accepted here that various of their pet assertions happen to coincide with the truth. Iraqis do not need Mr. Bush to tell them that most of the troublemakers here are not resistance fighters, but highly paid, often imported thugs; Iraqis have been saying that from the start.
Fifth, a steady stream of terrible events has generated a steady stream of legitimately negative news stories about Iraq, the sum effect of which seems to have been to leave the rest of the world with the impression that Iraq now appears in the dictionary next to "unqualified disaster"; that hardly anything is improving here, and that hardly anyone is or feels any better off than he or she did before the war. This impression is false."
http://www2.observer.com/observer/pages/frontpage4.asp
Read for yourself.
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$135.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network