After an initial series of civil disobedience actions organized in the first days of the war, only one coalition--International ANSWER (Act Now to End War and Racism)--has called for nationwide protest actions.

The United for Peace and Justice coalition (UPJ), which organized the February 15 and March 22 protests in New York involving hundreds of thousands of people, has sponsored billboards on which the words "peace is patriotic" are superimposed on a U.S. flag.

The UPJ’s website calls on opponents of the war to wear black and yellow armbands, stating that the black symbolizes "our mourning for the thousands of innocent Iraqi people who will be killed.... While the yellow will symbolize our support for the American troops."

Yellow ribbons, which have been around since the U.S. army’s war of genocide against Native Americans, are traditionally a symbol of backing U.S. war efforts under the banner of supporting "our troops."

Many organizations on the left have also joined the patriotic chorus. The Communist Party USA and Committees of Correspondence, a split-off from the CPUSA, which have been part of the leadership of the UPJ coalition, are among them.

An editorial, titled "Peace is patriotic," in the March 22 People’s Weekly World, the CPUSA’s newspaper, repeated long-held positions by the Stalinist organization. "To protest for peace is not to protest against the troops, or for Saddam Hussein," the editorial stated. It is to "express concern about the lack of diplomacy and to worry about where this war will take our nation and our world."

What unites those "working for peace," the PWW editors continued, "is their patriotism."

Committees of Correspondence leader and UPJ co-chair Leslie Cagan told the New York Times, "If we are going to be a force that needs to be listened to by our elected officials, by the media, by power, our movement needs to reflect the population."

The March 29 Times article quoting Cagan was headlined, "Antiwar Effort Emphasizes Civility Over Confrontation." Featured on the front page of the paper’s "Nation at War" section, the article noted that "with the war against Iraq in its second week, the most influential antiwar coalitions have shifted away from large-scale disruptive tactics and stepped up efforts to appeal to mainstream Americans."

Protest leaders are presenting themselves as "the loyal opposition, embracing the troops but condemning the war," stated the Times.

In the first days of the U.S.-led invasion, a spate of civil disobedience actions was staged. Direct Action to Stop the War, the antiwar umbrella coalition in San Francisco, for example, organized thousands to block intersections and thoroughfares. More than 2,300 people were arrested in three days. Such tactics have now largely been put aside in favor of protests outside corporation offices, media conglomerates, and federal institutions that aim "to attract attention but not offend most Americans," according to the Times.

Among those opposing civil disobedience actions is the Win Without War coalition.

Since its formation in December, Win Without War has presented itself as a "mainstream, patriotic voice" in distinction to both UPJ and International ANSWER. The group says it has a mailing list of 2 million. Its affiliates include the NAACP, the National Council of Churches, the National Organization for Women, and the Sierra Club. The main demand organizers of Win Without War put forward up until Washington launched its slaughter of the Iraqi people, was to "let the inspections work"--promoting the use of UN weapons "inspectors" to disarm the Iraqi regime.

"Right from the beginning we tried to frame it as a message that would go down well in broader communities than just the antiwar crowd," said David Cortright, head of the Fourth Freedom Forum, which is part of Win Without War. "The average labor guy out there wants to be seen in that mainstream, patriotic light."

The ANSWER coalition, which is dominated by the Workers World Party, another Stalinist organization, has called for an April 12 national march on Washington, D.C., under the slogan, "Stop the War in Iraq." Actions are also planned that day in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Demands by this group have become more vague and targeted at U.S. president George Bush, rather than Washington, as the demand "Bring the troops home now!" does, for example. Other activities promoted on the ANSWER website include a campaign to "Vote No to War" and "Vote to Impeach" Bush, with "articles of impeachment drafted by former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark."  
 
 
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