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Vol. 71/No. 36      October 1, 2007

 
March on Washington opposes war in Iraq
(feature article)
 
BY SAM MANUEL  
WASHINGTON, September 15—Some 15,000 people marched here today against the war in Iraq. It was the first of three major antiwar actions slated to take place this fall.

Most participants came from eastern states, with smaller groups from the West and Midwest. The spirited march included many youth.

“This is my first march,” said Lisa Mitchell-Brooks, 36, a software program manager from Bronx, New York. “I got tired of throwing things at the TV and cursing Bush and Cheney.”

This was the second protest in as many weeks for Morgan Thomas, 19, a political science student at Howard University and a member of the campus Amnesty International chapter. Morgan said she heard about the demonstration from flyers on campus “and at the Jena Six rally a student urged people to come.”

Thomas was referring to a campus rally of 1,500 students last week in support of six Black high school students in Jena, Louisiana, who face long prison terms. Many participants in today’s antiwar march carried signs or wore T-shirts demanding “Drop the charges! Free the Jena 6!”

“It’s good to see so many young people here,” said James Bynum, 66, a retired high school teacher from Portland, Oregon. “I had to take a red-eye flight but this crowd is very encouraging. Impeaching the Bush bunch is the only way to end wars.”

Bynum’s sentiments on impeachment were echoed by many speakers at the rally. “The only thing that can stop Bush and his gang is impeachment,” said former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark.

Other speakers emphasized lobbying.

Cindy Sheehan, who became a prominent antiwar activist after her son Casey was killed in Iraq, was among the speakers promoting civil disobedience. She encouraged participation in a “die-in” at the Capitol following the march. “We need to lay our bodies on the line and shut down schools, federal buildings and Congress,” she said.

Cops used chemical spray against people participating in the “die-in” as they attempted to cross a police barricade. Some 189 people were arrested at the civil disobedience action. City authorities also harassed march organizers in the weeks leading up to the demonstration, issuing fines and breaking up a press conference. Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER coalition, the principal organizer of the action, told the rally that the city has issued $40,000 in fines against the group for putting up flyers and posters.

The antiwar march was led by a group of uniformed Iraq war veterans marching behind a large U.S. flag. There was also a prowar rally of about 700 organized by the rightist outfits Gathering of Eagles and Free Republic that featured speeches by retired military officers. Later the prowar demonstrators lined one side of Pennsylvania Avenue behind police barricades, taunting the antiwar marchers. They held signs reading “No surrender! No retreat!” and “Save Iraqi Lives! Stay the course!” Groups of rightists also confronted antiwar protesters on the Capitol grounds, in one case almost leading to a fight.

Many antiwar marchers interviewed considered the demonstration a success. Georgia State University student Zack Papageorge, 18, came with a carload from Atlanta. This was his third march, which he said went well and was spirited. “Petraeus’ report was an attempt to sedate the gains made within the antiwar movement,” he said. “[Hillary] Clinton and [Barack] Obama are just trying to win votes, and it has nothing to do with human lives or why we should get out.”

Quentin Miller, a student at the University of the District of Columbia, said he had considered joining the military to help pay for school but decided not to after two friends were sent to Iraq. Miller said he plans to march again on September 29. An antiwar march in Washington, D.C., that day is sponsored by the Troops Out Now Coalition.

Another antiwar coalition, United For Peace and Justice, has called regional protests for 10 cities October 27.

Maura DeLuca and Osborne Hart contributed to this article.
 
 
Related articles:
White House: Iraq ‘drawdown’ part of long-term troop presence  
 
 
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