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War protests to move to NY, West Coast after march on Pentagon
2007-03-18
Thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets here and in major US West Coast cities Sunday to demand an immediate end to the war in Iraq as New York takes the relay from other US cities that have held massive anti-war marches. United for Peace and Justice, which describes itself as the largest anti-war coalition in the United States, said it expected the protesters to turn up here en masse to mark the fourth anniversary of the US-led Iraq invasion. "The national anti-war movement is planning a unified surge of protest actions calling on Congress to end the occupation and for the immediate withdrawal of US troops," the group said in a statement. Massive anti-war rallies were also being organized in San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched to the Pentagon's doorstep Saturday demanding "US out of Iraq Now," ahead of the fourth anniversary of the US invasion. People from across the United States gathered on a cold winter day to descend on the US Defense Department offices and decry the conflict that has killed more than 3,200 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Former US attorney general Ramsey Clark called for President George W. Bush's impeachment, while Cindy Sheehan, who lost a son in Iraq, demanded a US withdrawal. "I marched in 1967 here," Maureen Dooley, 59, said outside the Pentagon, site of Vietnam war protests, but results were not immediate: "It took seven years to end the war." War opponents trickled into Washington for the rally organized by the peace group ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War End Racism) as Vietnam war veterans wearing black leather jackets gathered nearby for a counter-demonstration. Some war supporters confronted the peace activists, tearing up and spitting on anti-war signs while chanting: "USA! USA!" Washington police do not give crowd estimates, but an AFP correspondent said tens of thousands of people could be seen at the march. War opponents have organized a series of protests against the conflict that started March 20, 2003. In Los Angeles, several thousand demonstrators took to the streets. Organizers of the rally in Hollywood estimated its size at "tens of thousands," while the Los Angeles Police Department said the figure was in the 5,000-6,000 range. Protesters blew whistles and carried placards bearing slogans critical of Bush, such as "Worst President Ever" and "It's time for regime change in Washington." A smattering of celebrities were also marching in the crowd, organizers said, including veteran actor and peace activist Martin Sheen and actress Maria Bello, the star of "Thank you for Smoking" and "A History of Violence." Ian Thompson, of ANSWER, said the protest was the biggest in Los Angeles since 2005. "People have had enough and this is their way of showing it," Thompson told AFP. "This government needs to start listening to what the people want. And most people don't want us to be fighting war in Iraq," Thompson added. In European cities, protest turnout ranged from 400,000 in Madrid to thousands in Istanbul, Turkey and several hundred in Copenhagen, Prague, Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece. Alan Pugh, 27, a computer student from Ohio, said he hoped the Washington protest would have the same impact as the mass demonstrations denouncing the Vietnam war decades ago. "This is the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam protest that changed the direction and we hope we can do the same thing today," he said. Late Friday, about 100 people were arrested in Washington as they held a vigil on a sidewalk in front of the White House and ignored police orders to disperse in a protest organized by Christian Peace Witness for Iraq. The leftist group MoveOn.org was also organizing candlelight vigils for Monday in Washington and across the country, spokesman Steve Hoffman said. The war has grown increasingly unpopular, with recent polls showing that a majority of Americans now say the invasion was a mistake and want the US government to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Peace activists want the US Congress, secured by the Democrats in November elections that were marked by voter anger at the war, to push hard for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. But Democrats have so far failed to pass legislation that would compel Bush to change course in Iraq.
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