[Marxism] 100,000 March Against Iraq War in Washington D.C.

[Pat Costello <pt_costello@xxxxxxxxx>]

I attended this demonstration. It was one of the
largest and liveliest demonstrations I have been to
for a while. The lead contingent was a very moving
formation of Iraq War Vets Against the War followed by
Veterans for Peace and Military Families Against the
War. The crowd was a wonderful mix of young and old,
and quite diverse. I will try to post some photos in
the next day or so. 

I read that the Washington Post estimated the crowd at
10,000 which is a laughable lie. I can only tell you
that I was one of the first people to arrive at the
Capitol and it took over an hour for the rest of the
march to arrive. 

The counter demonstrators were mostly a bunch of
middle-aged white men in motorcycle gear and a few
kids with college republican t-shirts. I passed one
peach-fuzzed young college republican who was shouting
"traitors!" at the Iraq Vets against the War and I
asked him if he was planning to go to join the
military. He quickly gave me his seemingly rehearsed
answer, "No, I think there are other ways to show
patriotism." I laughed. 

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091607Z.shtml

More Than 190 Arrested at DC Protest 
By Matthew Barakat 
The Associated Press

Sunday 16 September 2007

Washington - Several thousand anti-war demonstrators
marched through downtown Washington on Saturday,
clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps
where more than 190 protesters were arrested.

The group marched from the White House to the Capitol
to demand an end to the Iraq war. Their numbers
stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue, and
they held banners and signs and chanted, "What do we
want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was
among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.

"We're occupying a people who do not want us there,"
Cliburn said of Iraq. "We're here to show that it
isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are
against this war."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal
barricades. There were some heated shouting matches
between the two sides.

The arrests came after protesters lay down on the
Capitol lawn in what they called a "die in" - with
signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers
killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of
the protesters started climbing over a barricade at
the foot of the Capitol steps.

Many were arrested without a struggle after they
jumped over the waist-high barrier. But some grew
angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted
to push them back. At least two people were showered
with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing
signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday
was much higher than previous anti-war rallies in
Washington this year. Five people were arrested at a
protest outside the Pentagon in March when they walked
onto a bridge that had been closed off to accommodate
the demonstration, then refused to leave. And at a
rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a
street near the Capitol, but they were dispersed
without arrests.

 The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the
White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End
the war now" and calling for President Bush's
impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER
Coalition and other groups.

 Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people
attended the rally and march. That number could not be
confirmed; police did not give their own estimate. A
permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER
Coalition had projected 10,000.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was
time to be assertive.

"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've
had enough," she said. "It's time to shut this city
down."

About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters
gathered near the Washington Monument, frequently
erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving American
flags.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson,
speaking from a stage to crowds clad in camouflage,
American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson jackets,
said he wanted to send three messages.

"Congress, quit playing games with our troops.
Terrorists, we will find you and kill you," he said.
"And to our troops, we're here for you, and we support
you."

Associated Press writer Christine Simmons contributed
to this report.



Protest in Washington demands end to Iraq war
 
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6263754.html
 
Tens of thousands of protesters staged the first
anti-war protest in this U.S. capital since January on
Saturday, demanding an end to the Iraq war.

Holding black and yellow signs reading "End the War,"
protesters started to gather in the morning near the
White House. The protest formally began at noon at
Lafayette Park, on the north side of the White House,
with speeches from at least two dozen speakers ranging
from former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and
Ralph Nader to Washington Wizards player Etan Thomas.

Around 3:00 p.m., protesters began to march to the
Capitol, where they staged a "die-in" with a mock
21-gun salute.

Police said dozens of protesters had been arrested
without incident after they climbed over a waist-high
metal fence erected at the base of the Capitol.

Cheered on by the crowd, more demonstrators were
leaping over the fence every few minutes in the late
afternoon and were being taken into custody.

Like the last major anti-war march in January, when
tens of thousands marched to the National Mall,
Saturday's event came at a tense time in the fractious
debate over the U.S. mission in Iraq.

It came after this week's congressional testimony by
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in
Iraq, and U.S. President George W. Bush's announcement
of a partial pullback of some 30,000 troops from Iraq
by next summer. But Democratic leaders immediately
criticized his plan for not providing either a plan to
successfully end the war or a convincing rationale to
continue it.

Saturday's event was organized by the ANSWER
Coalition, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and
End Racism. The organizer estimated that 100,000
people attended the protest.

It will be followed by a week of "civil disobedience"
in Washington intended to push the anti-war movement
into a more confrontational phase, according to
organizers.

Throughout the day, Bush was at Camp David, Maryland,
and not at home to hear the protests. 





      
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