Veronique Millon/The Hoya Emil Totonchi (SFS ’06), Bayaan Hamid (SFS ’07), Alice Chan (SFS ’07), atan Shamir (SFS ’07) and Kyle Holsinger-Johnson (COL ’06) rallied against the U.S.-led war in Iraq during Saturday’s protests.
Diverse groups representing opinions across the political spectrum converged on the National Mall on Saturday, marching both in criticism and support of U.S. military action in Iraq. Georgetown students participated on both fronts.
International ANSWER, an anti-war coalition, and United for Peace and Justice, an organization that promotes peace and social justice, sponsored rallies in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, calling for the immediate removal of American forces from Iraq. Saturday’s protest was the first since Baghdad fell to U.S.-led forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom in April and was significantly smaller than a Jan. 18 protest that drew 500,000 people according to organizers and 100,000 by police estimates. About 16 students from Georgetown Peace Action joined up with the national Student Peace Action Network feeder march.
Students gathered at the Washington Monument with crowds who protested an array of President Bush’s policies, including civil libertarians against the Patriot Act and pro-Palestinian activists against American support for Israel.
Protestors included an eclectic group of veterans, suburbanites and activists all united in opposition to U.S. involvement in Iraq. Enthusiastic crowds filled the air with chants of “Bring them home now,” referring to the forces in Iraq.
Some students blamed the president and said it was important for citizens to get involved in the national issues.
“I think [protests] are a good way to express what we feel to the government,” Suad Al-kawas (COL ’04), who has also attended similar events in the past, said.
Jon Fayer (COL ’07) had similar reasons for attending this weekend’s event. “I want to let Mr. Bush know that everybody doesn’t agree with his war,” he said.
Other students focused on difficulties in the future.
Jeremy White (COL ’07) decided to march despite being on crutches. “I was against the war to begin with,” he said. “But now that we’re there I don’t think we should pull out and abandon them because of the mess we’ve already made.”
Marlene Grundstrom (SFS ’07) said she hoped that something positive might come from the war, which she opposed. “The war shouldn’t have taken place in the first place. I would like to see another kind of world order emerge from this,” she said.
Democratic presidential candidates Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) were among the keynote speakers at the rally.
Directing his comments to President Bush, Sharpton said, “You need to stop lying, you need to protect our troops. We’re the real patriots.”
On the opposite end of the National Mall, a smaller but nonetheless intense rally sought to counter the anti-war protests. Organized by the Austin, Texas based Internet group Protest Warrior, the rally aimed to show that Americans also remained supportive of the decision to invade Iraq.
“The idea here is to crash the party on the other end in a nonviolent way,” Kfir Alfia, one of the group’s co-founders, said.
“We want the other side to know that they can protest America but we can protest them,” Alan Davidson, the other co-founder, added. “Their pacifism is just a facade for despising America.”
Former Congressman Robert Dornan (R-Calif.) headlined the event, emphasizing the merits of the U.S. military and the qualifications of General William Boykin who has come under scrutiny for comments he made comparing the war on terrorism to a battle between Christianity and Satan.
“General Jerry Boykin is the salt of the Earth,” Dornan said. “You pray for him.”
About 50 protesters, including Georgetown students Jaydy Shin (COL ’07) and Jason Steidel (COL ’07), accompanied Davidson and Kfir as they marched west from the Capitol straight toward the ANSWER rally.
“We fear that the American public would perceive that people only came out to protest the war and that public opinion was somehow changing,” Shin said. “It’s important that people see that there are supporters of the president and the war and the liberation effort.”
Aware of the numerical differences between the two opposing protest groups, Shin added, “It’s very difficult to protest in favor of the status quo rather than opposed to it. There are many people who agree with us who just aren’t here. That they don’t feel the need to protest shows that they are still a large part of the population.”
Metro police on foot, horseback and motorcycle maintained a significant presence throughout the event and no arrests were reported. Streets surrounding the National Mall were closed to vehicle traffic during the protest, and some Metrobus service was interrupted.
Organizers estimated crowds at 100,000 while the police estimated between 40,000 and 50,000.
Students Protest Potential War
January 24, 2003
https://www.thehoya.com/news/012403/news4.cfm
Iraq Protests Draw Thousands to D.C.
October 29, 2003
https://www.thehoya.com/news/102902/news1.cfm
