An extraordinary new antiwar movement was launched in Washington Sept. 29 to oppose the Bush administration's plan for a war against Afghanistan and unnamed other countries over the next several years, and against efforts to circumscribe civil rights with anti-terrorist legislation.
Many thousands of activists from throughout the United States--the great majority young and strongly against a new war--were drawn to the protest organized by International ANSWER, a new coalition initiated by the International Action Center (IAC). The acronym stands for Act Now to Stop War & End Racism. Organizers placed the turnout as 20-25,000. A number of major newspapers and Reuters news agency, estimated the crowd at 10,000. Police said 7,000.
The importance of the event cannot be underestimated because it constituted the first mass national manifestation of opposition to war after weeks of media-provoked pro-war sentiment across the nation in the aftermath of the terror attacks in New York and Washington. Rarely in U.S. protest history has a movement been generated so swiftly, particularly under the present complex circumstances and temporary milieu of hyper-patriotism confronting todays progressive forces.
A large variety of protest events originally were scheduled to take place in Washington during the last week in September, principally against the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank as part of the growing anti-globalization movement. But most were called off after the Sept. 11 disaster and the cancellation of the IMF-WB conference. The IAC then transformed its original Sept. 29 action at the White House against the Bush administrations right-wing policies into an antiwar demonstration in the aftermath of President Bush's threat to lash out militarily against vaguely defined enemies of the United States. After taking legal action, the group secured permits for the march and rally.
The protest began in Freedom Plaza at noon with a three-hour rally, followed by a spirited march down a shoulder-to-shoulder jammed Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol, and then a second rally at Upper Senate Park. Another march, up to a thousand strong, was organized by the Anti-Capitalist Convergence, and took place early in the day. After harassment by police, the group made it to the Freedom Plaza event, where reports of their detention and progress had been broadcast periodically to the crowd.
The huge plaza, a few blocks from the off-limits White House area, was packed to capacity, largely with demonstrators from the northeast but arriving from as far as Minnesota (a delegation of 100), and other distant locations. The Mid-Hudson region of New York State accounted for nearly 400 protesters, mostly students from Bard and Vassar colleges, plus up to 100 community people, half of whom arrived in buses from Kingston and New Paltz organized by the Mid-Hudson Peoples Campaign.
The rally opened with three calls for moments of silence--one for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, one for the workers and union members who were killed, and one for the victims of U.S. oppression around the world.
Looking out at the packed crowd punctuated by thousands of signs, Larry Holmes of the IAC declared: Were here to say what must be said. We reject terrorism, but were not going to follow George W. Bush in a war against Afghanistan or other countries in the Middle East. We say no to more violence; no to racism; no to the threat to take away our civil liberties.
Holmes was soon followed by James Kreeden, an EMS worker in New York City who saved lives working at ground zero rescuing people from the World Trade Center: "I was almost killed", he told the crowd. "We lost four people from my squad. I stand with the International Action Center and say, war will not bring our loved ones back. In previous commemoration meetings in New York City, I called for a moment of silence for the many fallen EMS workers. I am not calling for a moment of silence here today. I am calling for a moment of resolve that we are going to act now to stop war and racism"
A large number of activists addressed the growing crowd that afternoon, most of whom imparted their message in one minute of allotted time. Vanessa Dixon of the D.C. Healthcare Now Coalition, asked, "Why kill people who havent killed anyone to show that killing is wrong?" New York IAC organizer Teresa Gutierrez, cautioned that We must not let them transform our grief into a war to benefit the corporations. A woman representing Philadelphias activist Kensington Welfare Rights Movement pointed out that War is not the answer. Let us instead bomb the world with food, housing and employment.
Berta Jourbert-Ceci, of the Philadelphia IAC struck a theme that was to be repeated frequently--that the tragedy of Sept. 11 was in part the bitter fruit of countless Pentagon and CIA forays into distant lands. We deplore what happened Sept. 11, she acknowledged. But it is sheer hypocrisy for Washington to claim it has been the innocent victim of terrorism. The U.S. government has been purveying terrorism for decades. It must share part of the responsibility for what happened.
Rev. Lucius Walker, IFCO/Pastors for Peace--the leader of caravans to Cuba and Mexico to promote peace and friendship--said he had just returned from Havana where, "The government and people are united in condemning the terror attacks. The Cubans know the horror of terrorism. They have endured it from our own country for over 40 years. The primary source of terrorism in the world today is our government....We must return the debate to issues such as peace, social progress and a better environment. We must move beyond revenge to peace and justice."
Another minister, the Rev. Curtis Gatewood, head of the Durham, N.C., NAACP who took a strong antiwar stand while the national organization equivocated, warned against pro-war propaganda in these words: "A lie is still a lie, even when it is decorated in red, white and blue."
The speeches were absorbed by many in the throng as a long-overdue tonic to endless war talk and speculation about a plethora of potential future terrorist actions throughout the U.S. from the corporate media and the White House. (Additional brief quotes from the speakers appear a few stories down.) The rally also had the impact of empowering the participants, many of whom were virtually limp after the nonstop bathos projected by the media intended to whip up national unity around President Bushs war agenda.
The mile-plus Pennsylvania Ave. march kicked off at 3 p.m. under partly cloudy skies and just-right early autumn breezes. Rows of signs bobbed up and down the avenue: "War Is Not The ANSWER." "No War, No Racism." "Our Grief Is Not A Cry For War." Chants filled the air: "No more victims, no more violence, no more war." "The people united, will stop the war." "No blood for oil" There were Korean drummers in national costume with No War printed on their white headbands. There were musicians of all kinds keeping time for the marchers. Young people danced their way up the avenue, the Capitol dome rising above their heads as they got closer.
Older people watched the young and thought maybe things will be okay after all. People in their 80s kept up a fast pace, energized by the good vibrations and reflecting back to the countless marches and rallies for peace and justice that preceded this one. People marched who had been to Washington 20 times before, never for more than the 12 hours it takes to protest, and go home. People marched who sat for long hours in buses bringing them to D.C., glad to be free from constraint, stretching their legs, feeling powerful again. Students were all around. There goes Cornell, 100 strong. And of course there were the young families and occasional baby carriages and pets, as well as a snake dance through the march by a score of revolutionary youth waving large red flags.
At one point the march passed a right-wing counter-demonstration, protected by a contingent of riot police. The right was chanting, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, as though cheering a sports team. At one point they chanted, It doesnt matter what you say, were gong to bomb them anyway. A counter-chant came from the passing marchers, "George Bush, we want peace, U.S. out of the Middle East."
Watching the from the sidelines were granite-faced riot cops in black, padded with shin guards and dark visors like Darth Vader action figures. They lined the cross streets and the institutions of sanctity such as the FBI building, weapons at the ready, waiting, just waiting.
By the time the marchers reached the second rally, many sat on the grass, ate sandwiches and talked, while others attended the rally and still others flocked to the music and dancing at the far end of the park. By 5 p.m., people were drifting down to the buses, parked a couple of blocks away.
Young masked marchers in black had just finished their second walk of the day, this time without significant incident from the police. During their first event in the morning, sponsored by the anarchist-oriented Anti-Capitalist Convergence, they marched from Union Station to the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank without a permit, police accompanying them the whole way. A shoving match ensued at one point and the police began using pepper spray, arresting three people. The marchers continued, ending at a park across from their destination. At that point, police refused to allow them to leave in order to join the Freedom Plaza rally, resulting in a tension-filled confrontation lasting over an hour. At last they were freed.
The percentage of young people in the march was large. It seemed at least 75% were between 18-29. It was a multinational crowd, too. Women outnumbered men, reflecting the national trend for war opponents. College students came from everywhere, but not as many seemed to arrive from New York City as in recent years for other protests. Perhaps this is because there have been a number of peace meetings in the city in recent weeks. There were a lot of pacifists in the crowd but not too many pacifist organizations seemed in evidence. The left was present, too, of course, but many of the organizations were swallowed in the crowd. Not too many left papers were being distributed, but copies of Workers World were all over the place, reflecting the organizations hard work in helping to organize the event.
The IAC and ANSWER coalition organized protests in a number of cities the same day, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Chicago, among others.
In general, the media did its usual poor job of reporting on oppositional movements--but virtually every news outlet said something. The New York Times report was scandalously slanted and inaccurate, but a number of big city papers carried better stories and some were good. The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, L.A. Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Chicago Tribune, among others, all had fair accounts, relying on their own reporters, not the APs skimpy account which appeared in the great majority of papers that didnt bother to send a reporter to the nations capital. TV had its usual brief clips and sound bites. C-Span broadcast the entire event live, and repeated it twice later on.
The important thing, except where the media performed a hatchet job, was that the word got out big time. Many millions of Americans learned for the first time that a substantial number of people have bucked the tide. Many undoubtedly thought it was unpatriotic. Thats always the way it is in the beginning of wars. But many had to be impressed and started to think more deeply about the issues. Some must have been won over right away. Others will follow.
The birth of a new antiwar movement took place Sept. 29. Maybe it will grow and give pause to the warmakers. Maybe it will stiffen the backbone of a few Democrats so that California Rep. Barbara Lee wont be all alone. Maybe it can help change peoples thinking. Maybe it will spark a national debate. And just maybe, if Bushs conflict spreads over time, it can help end a war. Thats a lot of maybes, but theres no telling what lies ahead.
