Thousands march in S.F. protest

["Seth Sandronsky" <ssandron@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

April 21

All,

Two newspapers (SF Chronicle and Sacramento Bee), two takes on the April 20
protest against war, poverty and racism in SF.

Seth


Thousands march in S.F. protest
At least 20,000 decry Bush's Mideast policy, Israeli actions

Jim Herron Zamora, Chronicle Staff Writer 	 	Sunday, April 21, 2002

In one of the largest Bay Area protests in recent years, at least 20, 000
people marched through San Francisco yesterday in opposition to U.S. policy
in the Mideast, transforming 2 miles of city streets into a sea of red,
green, black and white Palestinian flags. The demonstration was billed as a
march against "the real axis of evil: war, racism, poverty," but one cause
overwhelmed all others: support for the Palestinian cause.

The four-hour protest, which began at noon in the Mission District and ended
at City Hall, caused widespread gridlock and prompted the Highway Patrol to
close the Fell Street Central Freeway off-ramp for 45 minutes.

"It's one of the biggest protests in the past five years," San Francisco
police Cmdr. Greg Suhr said. "It's not often that you see one where a crowd
has formed in Civic Center but there are still people in Dolores Park who
haven't started marching."

Busloads of marchers came from as far away as Los Angeles, Fresno and Yuba
City in Sutter County. Organizers said demonstrators might have numbered 50,
000, but police estimated closer to 20,000. A similar march in Washington,
D.C. , yesterday drew 35,000 to 50,000.

The San Francisco march included many Americans of Palestinian descent and
immigrants from other Arab countries who became politically active after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Kais Menoufy said he arrived from Egypt 18 years ago, while Riad Morrar said
he came from 27 years ago. Both are now citizens and own technology
companies in the Sacramento area.

"There is nothing else I can do but tell President Bush: 'You are wrong.
Stop killing my people,' " said Morrar, as he marched with his wife and four
children.

"I spent 20 years avoiding the news, avoiding conflict. It is too
depressing," Menoufy said. "I love America. But I'm embarrassed and angry
that my country is supporting genocide."

A handful of counter-demonstrators carrying Israeli flags confronted the
first arrivals at Civic Center Plaza. Marchers nearly surrounded the group
until police intervened and took the pro-Israel group inside City Hall
before dispersing them.

"It was for their own safety," police Capt. Alex Fagan said. "There are
thousands of people here on the other side, and I couldn't guarantee their
safety. So they made their point and then I asked them to leave."


MANY GENERATIONS IN MARCH

Perhaps the oldest marcher was Dave Smith, an 89-year-old member of the
Abraham Lincoln Brigade, an American group opposing nationalists in the
Spanish Civil War from 1936-39.

"I am proud to fight fascism and oppression, whether it's in Spain, Nazi
Germany or Israel," said Smith.

The youngest demonstrator might have been Hanif Amanullah, a 4-month-old
from Oakland who slept in his father's arms.

"I'm marching for this little guy," said Shahed Amanullah. "I want him to
grow up in a world without this kind of violence."

Osha Neumann, a longtime peace activist from Berkeley and veteran of
protests since the 1960s, said that for decades the Palestinian cause
divided many Bay Area Jewish liberals and leftists who did not want to
oppose Israel.

"Twenty years ago I was with a group of Jews protesting at the Israeli
Embassy, and it was lonely," said Neumann. "I am happy that Jews especially
and the other progressives are no longer blind to oppression by the
Israelis."

Many participants had T-shirts, buttons or signs saying, "Another Jew
against the oppression of the Palestinian people."

That theme also hit home for Julie Lehman, whose boyfriend is a Moroccan
immigrant.

"I feel that as someone Jewish, I need to speak out against the Israeli
government when I see what they are doing is so wrong," said Lehman, of San
Francisco. "I'm proud to be around so many other Jews today who agree with
me. We have to be honest."

Many other causes were represented. Protesters denounced the World Bank,
globalization and corporations that included the Gap, Enron and Microsoft.
Signs advocated saving the Earth, saving the Arctic caribou and saving the
redwoods -- as well as ending the U.S. embargo of Cuba. Placards called for
U. S. troops to leave Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Marchers
urged Americans to "stop killing" people from Afghans to Canadians to
African Americans.


COLORFUL STREET THEATER

Street theater was everywhere, with mammoth puppets of Uncle Sam, Bush and
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. There were other creative
demonstrators, too, including a Rottweiler festooned with the colors of the
Palestinian flag and a pit bull with a sandwich board saying "Sharon: Stop
Mauling Palestinians."

Police generally kept a low profile and reported no arrests. At one point, a
police captain confiscated lighter fluid from several demonstrators about to
burn an Israeli flag.

"It's not a free speech issue -- it's a safety thing. I don't want you
lighting this on fire with a crowd around here," said Fagan.

Minutes after Fagan stepped away, protesters still managed to burn an
Israeli flag.

Most backers of Israel stayed away yesterday and did not stage a counter
protest, although the conflict was not far from their minds.

Protests have their place, said Cantor David Bentley, religious-school
director of Congregation B'nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek, who attended one in
San Francisco last week. Overall, though, marching in the streets tends to
polarize people rather than unite them, he said.

"We should be reaching out with humanitarian efforts toward people on both
sides of the conflict," said Bentley, whose students have been sending
postcards to keep up the morale of Israelis.

"We're Jews," he said. "Israel is our homeland. . . . Every sovereign nation
has a right to defend itself. That's all Israel is doing."

Chronicle staff writers Tyche Hendricks and Jason B. Johnson contributed to
this report. E-mail Jim Herron Zamora jzamora@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Published 3:25 p.m. PDT Saturday, April 20, 2002
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - More than 10,000 people gathered Saturday for a march
and rally protesting war, racism and poverty, police said.

Marchers were predominantly pro-Palestinian.

The daylong rally culminated with activists marching through the city to
Civic Center Plaza.

While marchers snarled traffic and congested downtown streets, no arrests
were made and no violence was reported, police spokesman Jeff Brogan said.

Officers blocked off an eight-block radius around City Hall to accommodate
the rally.

Organizers said they held the event to protest "the real axis of evil: war,
racism and poverty." KCBS radio reported that several people holding Israeli
flags and chanting "No More Holocaust" were moved inside City Hall when
pro-Palestinian marchers began to enter the plaza. Police then set up a
barrier of officers in riot gear between the two groups.





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