The Militant (logo)  
   Vol. 67/No. 4           February 3, 2003  
 
 
Tens of thousands
protest U.S. war drive
(front page)
 
BY MAURICE WILLIAMS  
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Amid news of the U.S. government’s stepped-up military deployments in the Middle East, tens of thousands of people gathered here on January 18 around the slogan "No War on Iraq." A similar crowd gathered in San Francisco, while smaller demonstrations were organized in Tampa, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and elsewhere.

In this capital city the turnout included high school and college students who, along with others, traveled in buses, cars, and vans from as far away as Mississippi, Illinois, Minnesota, Vermont, and Florida. Sixteen buses came from Minnesota and 18 from Detroit.

The demonstration attracted people holding a wide range of political viewpoints. Among them were thousands of youth, many at their first political protest, who came to Washington because they were repelled by Washington’s drive toward war in the Mideast and wanted to do something about it.

The national protest was called by a coalition called International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). The list of endorsers of the action included groups such as the Fellowship for Reconciliation, Global Exchange, Not In Our Name Project, and IFCO/Pastors for Peace, along with several Democratic Party and religious figures.

The most prominent speakers at the event included Democratic politicians Jesse Jackson, Alfred Sharpton, and Rep. John Conyers. Others ranged from actresses Tyne Daly and Jessica Lange to Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic and Rev. Herbert Daughtry of New York.

The national demonstration was timed partly to commemorate Martin Luther King’s birthday. Invoking the name of the slain civil rights leader, some of the speakers as well as many demonstrators sounded a pacifist theme.

Several speakers argued that the impending military assault on Iraq was a "weapon of mass distraction" from social and economic problems in the United States.

"Poverty is soaring while social programs are being diverted for a war and occupation of Iraq," read the leaflet for the march. Some "1.5 million people in New York have to go to food pantries," said Brian Becker, co-director of the International Action Center, who co-chaired the concluding rally at the Navy Yard in Washington. "We want the $250 billion used for military spending to feed the people."  
 
Patriotic themes
Nearly all the speakers presented President George Bush and the Republican Party as the ones responsible for the drive to war. The leaflet for the march called on "the people of the United States to act now to stop Bush’s planned war of aggression."

"President Bush can’t wait to launch a war," said Democratic Congressman John Conyers. "There is still time for the president to change his destructive course, which will only lead to an inflamed Middle East and increased terrorism."

Conyers, who has cosponsored legislation to reintroduce military conscription, struck a patriotic note that was repeated by many of the speakers and organizers. The president "will call you unpatriotic, but you are showing your patriotism by being here today," he said, adding, "Only the American citizens can stop this war now."

Placards carried by many marchers also expressed these themes. "War in Iraq Won’t Solve America’s Problems," read one sign. "This Patriot Is For Peace," read another. Some participants carried U.S. flags.

"Peace is patriotic, war is nothing but chaotic," chanted one small contingent.

Former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark told demonstrators that "unlawful detentions [of immigrants] are a major campaign of the Republicans." He offered a slogan, "impeach Bush," that was chanted by thousands at the rally.

The virtually exclusive emphasis on Republican responsibility for the war drive raised questions with some. "The Democrats gave Bush complete authority to put this war in action," said Richard Cho, 26, from New York. The Democratic Party "needs an overhaul," he said.  
 
Youth open to different viewpoints
Thousands of protesters, particularly college and high school students, were attending their first political demonstration and were receptive to hearing different points of view about Washington’s course toward war and what to do about it.

Brianna Beeker, who came with six other students from Elmira College in Elmira, New York, said the actions of the U.S. government and the pro-war media coverage brought her to believe the U.S. war moves were wrong. "The negative way they spoke of other peoples, the people in the Middle East, the Palestinians--I did not like that," she said. "And I could see that the U.S. has not been provoked."

"I’m new to this antiwar movement," said Kelly Ryan, a member of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 3800 who works at the University of Minnesota.

She said 10 union members had ridden 25 hours in a caravan of 16 buses to join the march. "Bush hoped that September 11 would be sufficient to rally people against Afghanistan and Iraq. There is no reason for a first strike against Iraq," she said.

One of the political questions reflected at the demonstration was the arrests of immigrants from the Mideast targeted in the immigration police sweeps of the past 16 months.

Rally co-chair Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation spoke against Attorney General John Ashcroft’s "investigations and arresting people unlawfully.... We Muslims know we are under attack," he said.  
 
Opposition to INS roundups
Many marchers expressed their opposition to the INS roundups. One small contingent walked under a banner reading, "No Human Being Is Illegal." They were joined by Palestinians carrying the flag of their national struggle, who swelled the group to about 200 people.

When the contingent arrived at the capitol they were joined by a group called Jews Against Occupation. Together they held a small rally, chanting slogans such as, "Shame, Shame, U.S.A., Long Live Palestine," and "Jewish People Yes, Zionism No."

As the protest took place in Washington, tens of thousands of people marched in San Francisco. Protesters at that action, which was similar in character to the Washington demonstration, came from around California and as far away as Seattle and Alberta, Canada.

Thousands of people also marched against Washington’s policies in Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; and Tampa, Florida, where protesters demonstrated outside MacDill Air Force Base.

Elsewhere around the world, demonstrations were held in Pakistan, Tokyo, and London. Some 6,000 marched in Paris, and 5,000 in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Organizers of the January 18 demonstrations announced that nationally coordinated regional protests are planned for February 15.
 
 
Related articles:
Young protesters open to revolutionary ideas
Young Socialists draw protesters interested in revolution  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home