18 January 2003
Demonstrators March in Washington To Protest Iraq Policy
(White House views anti-war protests as "time honored tradition") (910) By Stephen Kaufman Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Braving temperatures of minus 6 degrees Celsius, tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on the west side of the U.S. Capitol January 18, calling upon the Bush Administration to refrain from using military force against Iraq. The demonstrators, coming from all across the United States, argued that United Nations weapons inspectors searching for evidence of Iraqi weapons programs should be allowed to complete their mission before any decision on military force is made. The rally's principal organizer, International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) claimed that the billions of dollars used to fund a possible war would be better spent fighting poverty, creating jobs and improving education within the United States. Washington police estimated that 30,000 to 50,000 people attended the peaceful rally, while the rally organizers claimed 500,000. Whatever the number, this appeared to be the largest anti-war rally in Washington since the Vietnam War era. A comparably large protest took place across the continent in San Francisco. Beyond the United States, anti-war demonstrations were also reported in 32 different countries in Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. The day before the protest, White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said the Bush Administration viewed the right to demonstrate against its policies as "a time-honored part of American tradition," and "a strength of our democracy." "I think the President welcomes the fact that we are a democracy and people in the United States, unlike Iraq, are free to protest and to make their case known," said Fleischer at the January 17 White House press briefing. The demonstration coincided with the annual holiday commemorating the life of 1960's civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speakers at the rally argued that, based upon his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War, King would have joined with them in opposing a possible war on Iraq. One demonstrator carried a quotation from King which read, "War is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow." Speakers at the rally included 2004 Presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton, Representative John Conyers (Democrat from Michigan), Rainbow/PUSH Coalition founder Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran whose book "Born on the 4th of July" inspired a popular movie of the same name. One protester, Jerry, from Worchester, Massachusetts said he felt an obligation as a U.S. citizen and a Vietnam War veteran to speak out. No stranger to anti-war movements, he and his wife Carolyn had also protested U.S. military activity in Southeast Asia after his military service ended in 1970. "We are responsible for our own government," he said. People around the world and especially in the Middle East "need to know there are a lot of Americans in solidarity with them, and we are concerned about their interests. This protest is going to grow in this country and they need to know that. They need to know that they have friends and allies here in the United States," he said. Some protesters carried handmade signs reading "Dubya's War, Not Mine," and "Our grief is not a cry for war," in reference to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Following the rally, the protesters, escorted by police on motorcycles, marched towards the U.S. Marine Barracks in southeast Washington, where with loudspeakers they called out "Sisters and brothers, your lives are too precious for them to be wasted in a war of blood for oil." Near the barracks, they were met by a handful of counter-protesters, carrying signs reading "I support the President," and "Go Home Hippies," in reference to the anti-war activists of the 1960's. "I just don't think they realize what a tyrant [Saddam Hussein] is to his people," said Joseph, 26. "I mean, who in their right mind would demonstrate to keep this man in power?" Amy, 43 from Reading, Pennsylvania, marched with her two young sons, one of whom carried a sign reading "Love Iraqi Children." "My dissent should not be seen as support for Saddam Hussein," she said. "But it is certainly meant to show my concern for the Iraqi people." She added her belief that Iraq was being threatened solely because of its oil reserves. Non-violent protests against U.S. government policies are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits Congress from passing laws "abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble." At the front of the marchers, protest leaders with loudspeakers told the crowd to pause and look behind them to see how many others had braved the cold weather to voice their feelings about the war. "I can't see the end of this demonstration," commented the voice on the loudspeaker. "This is what peoples' democracy looks like." Leaflets passed out by the organizers of the January 18 demonstration promised an even larger exercise of their freedoms of speech and assembly on February 15, with a "mass mobilization" planned in New York City against the possible war. As on January 18, the organizers of the New York rally expect simultaneous protests around the world. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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