arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

500,000 Anti-War Protesters Demonstrate in Washington
200,00 March in San Francisco
Hundreds of Thousands More Demonstrate Around the World
To Oppose U.S. War With Iraq

Half a million people marched through the streets of
Washington Saturday and 200,000 demonstrated in San
Francisco in the largest U.S. demonstrations yet against
war with Iraq.

Sponsored by the International A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to
Stop War & End Racism) Coalition, the protests were
endorsed by thousands of organizations. Similar
demonstrations were held in at least 30 other countries.

"Today's demonstrations shattered the myth of consensus
for war," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership
for Civil Justice, one of the groups in A.N.S.W.E.R.
"Throughout the whole world, demonstrations today showed
the kind of people's power it's going to take to stop the
war in its tracks."

January 18 was a day of global protest based in the U.S.,
with coordinated demonstrations held in more than 30
countries -- including Japan, Ireland, Egypt, Spain,
Argentina, South Africa, Jordan, Belgium, Syria, Hong
Kong, Russia, Germany and Britain.

Announcing a week of anti-war protest for the week of
February 13-21 -- and culminating with a Student and Youth
Day of Action on the anniversary of the assassination of
Malcolm X -- organizers of the January 18 demonstration
joined the call of the European movement to make Februrary
15 the next step in the worldwide anti-war movement.

The morning of the demonstration, train and subway
stations in D.C. were jammed as hundreds of buses --
including 20 from New York's 1199/SEIU Health and Hospital
Workers Union, 20 from Winston-Salem South Carolina, eight
from Rochester and six from the Chicago Teachers Union --
arrived in the city for the massive protest.

The rally featured such speakers as former U.S. Attorney
General Ramsey Clark, civil rights activist Mahdi Bray,
actors Jessica Lange and Tyne Daly, Representative John
Conyers, Reverend Jesse Jackson, former Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney, author and Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, singer
Patti Smith, Reverend Herbert Daughtry, and Elizabeth
McAllister.

The program -- with musical performances by British pop
group Chumbawumba, singer Patti Smith, and a capella duet
Pam Parker and Lucy Murphy -- was opened by Moonanum James
of United American Indians of New England.

Speakers included A.N.S.W.E.R. leaders Elias Rashmawi,
Free Palestine Alliance; Peta Lindsay, A.N.S.W.E.R. Youth
& Student Coordinator; Larry Holmes and Brian Becker,
International Action Center; Mara Verheyden-Hilliard,
Partnership for Civil Justice; Marie Hilao Enriquez,
BAYAN; Macrina Cardenas, Mexico Solidarity Network; Chuck
Kaufman, Nicaragua Solidarity Network; Yoomi Jeong, Korea
Truth Commission; Cheri Honkala, Kensington Welfare Rights
Union; and Ismail Kamal, Muslim Students Association
National. Reverend Lucius Walker read an anti-war
statement from Rep. Charles Rangel.

Also addressing the rally were representatives of groups
such as New York City Labor Against the War, Maryland and
D.C. AFL-CIO, Colombia Trade Unionists in Exile, Queers
for Peace and Justice, United for Peace and Justice, Not
In Our Name, and representatives of the Committee for the
Rescue and Development of Vieques. Speakers reminded the
crowd that the fight against war and racism included the
struggles to free political prisoners Mumia Abu Jamal,
Leonard Peltier, Jamil Al Amin, and the Cuban Five.