|
|
|
The World Still Says No to WarPeople throughout the world took to the streets in passionate protest on March 20, the day after the U.S. began its devastating new war against Iraq. In more than 500 cities and towns throughout the United States, students, teachers, workers, businesspeople, artists, activists and religious leaders staged actions ranging from candlelight vigils to civil disobedience. As Direct Action to Stop the War expressed in a letter published in the San Francisco Chronicle on March 20, "We come with diverse political perspectives, but we stand together with one voice to say no to war. When democracy has failed us in our government, we must take democracy to the streets." Working with the Iraq Pledge of Resistance, residents of Wilmington, Del., Wichita, Kan., St. Louis, Mo. and at least 35 other cities participated in nonviolent civil disobedience ranging from sit-ins at busy intersections to blockades of federal buildings.
In San Francisco, thousands of peace activists completely shut down the financial district for several hours using a combination of street sit-ins and elaborate blockades. They also targeted the offices of corporations like Bechtel and the Carlyle Group that are expected to profit from the war. At least 175 college and high school campuses saw students walk out of classes in outrage about the unjust war. From Harvard University, where 1,200 students walked out of classes, to community colleges in Chicago, where 2,000 students took to the streets, to U.C. Berkeley, where 5,000 students walked out and occupied the school administration building, students took the lead across the country in rising up against the war. University of Texas students locked themselves to replicas of missiles at an Austin intersection, and surrounded themselves with 5,000 other students who held the intersection for four hours. High schoolers from throughout Oakland thronged the downtown area, filling the air with antiwar chants. Meanwhile, across the globe, political leaders and ordinary people spoke out against the U.S. attack. By Thursday morning, more than 150,000 people thronged the streets in Athens, Greece. Large Italian unions called for a two-hour general strike and 50,000 students hit the streets in Berlin. There were also large demonstrations in Pakistan, Chile, Indonesia, Egypt, Brazil, Palestine, France, the Philippines, Belgium, Argentina, the U.K. and Bangladesh. In Australia, tens of thousands shut down Melbourne. The largest U.S. demonstration was sponsored by United for Peace and Justice in New York City on Saturday, March 22 when 200,000 thronged the streets of Manhattan. That same weekend, Veterans Against The Iraq War, a coalition of veteran's organizations, staged multiple protests and solemn processions to the Vietnam, Korea and World War II memorials around Washington, D.C. For an ongoing list of actions, see www.unitedforpeace.org. Andrea Buffa works with Global Exchange in San Francisco. |
|
|
War Times/Tiempo de Guerras is a fiscally sponsored project of the |
