Thousands Gather in SF to March for Peace

Emily Stephens
3/26/2004

Thousands Gather in SF to March for Peace

An estimated 25,000-50,000 protestors gathered in San Francisco on Saturday Mar. 20th to rally for peace and to mark the one year anniversary of the US led military invasion of Iraq. The march began at Dolores Park in the Mission district, culminating at the Civic Center where an afternoon rally was held. Co-sponsored by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and Vanguard Public Foundation, the rally was one of many taking place worldwide throughout the weekend.

The rally served as a way for progressive groups to let their agendas be heard. Organizations set up tables in front of the Civic Center with information on how to get involved in specific areas of activism, encouraging everyone to register to vote. A few of the participant organizations included Not in Our Name, Code Pink, the Green Party, Industrial Workers of the World, and Project Censored.

Police lined the San Francisco streets and front steps of city hall, prepared for the arrival of multitudes of anti-war marchers. Citizens leading the march chanted through loudspeakers, “Hey hey, ho ho, this occupation’s got to go!” referring to the US occupation of Haiti, Palestine, Iraq and other countries. The greatly diverse group marched to the beat of a single drum, a powerful image of solidarity for peace. Men, women, and children alike displayed signs demanding an end to the war and imperial greed. One dog even wore a shirt declaring “Lift a leg on Bush!”

The overall mood of the event was peaceful. Marchers who reconvened at the Civic Center listened to music and speakers such as Assemblyman Mark Leno, and Green Party member Matt Gonzales. Leno began by attributing “our lying and criminal president George W. Bush” for getting everybody together that day, referencing Bush’s false claims of Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction. He and Gonzales both encouraged protestors to let their voices be heard and do everything in their power to get President Bush out of office. “It is important,” Gonzales said, “that the people in the rest of the country see that we aren’t a monolithic country, and that some of us want (Bush) out of office.”

The peace rally was one of many occurring throughout 65 countries, including over 250 US cities from New York to Los Angeles. According to Nati Carrera of International Answer there hasn’t been a demonstration in a while. At a time when the Bush administration is spending $2 billion per week to occupy Iraq, and $15 million each day to support Israel's war against the Palestinian people, Carrera feels that rallies such as this are crucial. “The anti-war movement has been going on for a year now and people need to know that it is still important.”

Those interested in more information on ANSWER can visit their website at http://www.InternationalANSWER.org.