Antiwar Protesters Rally on the Mall

Christina Pino-Marina
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Saturday, March 15, 2003; 5:49 PM

Thousands of antiwar demonstrators marched through the streets of Washington today for what many saw as a last chance to speak out before a U.S.-led war with Iraq.

The protest began with a noon rally on the grounds of the Washington Monument, where protesters were beating drums and dancing while others wave signs stating their cause. "War is not the way," read one. "Bush is an outlaw," stated another. "Give peace a chance," implored a third.

Demonstrators were greeted by various speakers including former attorney general Ramsey Clark, labor leaders and rappers.

The rally was followed by the march, which took protesters to the White House and Justice Department before ending back on the grounds of the Washington Monument. The local events coincided with antiwar events in cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles and demonstrations around the world.

During the march, five protesters were arrested after entering the lobby of the World Bank headquarters at H and 18th streets NW. Those arrested were among a group of 50 protesters who broke away from the main group. Police say about 12 of the 50 actually entered the lobby. Seven escaped before police could make arrests. Police say the protesters will be held at the D.C. jail until a court appearance Monday.

U.S. Park Police had enlisted the help of officers from New York and San Francisco to deal with expected crowds today.

The protest drew people from across the country, many of whom traveled in groups to today's events.

Hannah Shatz, 23, of Greenville, Mich., is one of 56 people with the Coalition Against War who traveled overnight by bus from Ann Arbor, Mich., to attend today's protest.

"I'm here today in W's [President Bush's] hometown because the person I love is in the Army, and I don't want him to go to war," she said, adding that her husband is a helicopter mechanic in the Army.

"Saddam Hussein is a threat to his own people. Something has to be done but not war." said Shatz, wearing a navy T-shirt decorated with a mushroom cloud with the words "That's all folks."

Abe Gehman, 68, traveled with his wife, Drollene, 63, from Bally, Penn., with fellow members of the Bally Mennonite Church. He said that his opposition to a possible war was rooted in his faith.

"I think it would be a worthwhile thing for Saddam [Hussein] and Bush to meet face to face. As bad as [Hussein] is, he's still a human being made in God's image," he said. "As a Christian, I'm part of a worldwide kingdom of faith."

Dianne Spriggs, 47, of Reston, said she and her two sons were attending a protest for the first time. Spriggs said that she was not affiliated with any group and that she was unfamiliar with the organizer, International ANSWER.

"I'm definitely against the war. It sounds like [it would be] a massacre," she said. "I think Saddam is a smalltime hood. He's incapable of creating the type of havoc he's been accused of."

Spriggs said she was at the protest today because "I feel like we're on the brink of war and at least I can come out and try to do something. We [protesters] can't back down."

Chuck Kaufman, spokesman for local protest organizer International ANSWER, said that organizers applied for a permit for 20,000 people but were expecting a much larger turnout. "Certainly tens of thousands," he said.

Kaufman said he expects the events to be peaceful and that "we would encourage any nonviolent form of action."

Counterdemonstrators also gathered today. The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic scheduled a 1 p.m. counterprotest on Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 15th Streets NW.

Later in the afternoon, Metropolitan Police officers formed a line separating protesters marching down Pennsylvania Avenue from fewer than 100 people participating in an organized counterdemonstration in Pershing Park.

Scott Gill, of McLean, said he is opposing the antiwar demonstrators on his own and is not affiliated with Free Republic or any other group.

"Everybody has their views and that's fine. I'm just out here to talk to people, present another view," he said. "I think a lot of this [protesting] is just anti-Bush.

"Saddam is like Hitler. If all these people would put this kind of pressure on Saddam to step down, there wouldn’t be a war," said Gill, who also has created a Web site outlining "French" products to boycott because of France's stance on the war.

In Lafayette Square adjacent to the White House, Kathy Stein and her son Thomas Jansen, 13, both of Silver Spring, discussed their opposition to military action in the Middle East.

Thomas, who held a sign he found that said "Don't Mess With Messopotamia," said: "I don't think there's a major reason to go to war right now."

His mother agreed, and said that his participation in demonstrations was a learning experience for him. "When people speak up, things get noticed," she said. "It's pretty clear we're in solidarity with people all over the world."

Tomorrow, evening peace vigils are planned across the world, starting in New Zealand and following sequentially in time zones in more than 2,800 cities in about 100 countries.

The Washington vigil will be at the Lincoln Memorial and organized by "Win Without War," a coalition that includes the NAACP, Greenpeace and several religious organizations that oppose military action and advocate more weapons inspections.

Dozens of former members of Congress yesterday sent a statement to the White House urging the Bush administration to give weapons inspectors more time before taking military action against Iraq.

"Let us pull back from the brink of war and give peaceful solutions a chance to work," said the statement, which signed by more than 70 former lawmakers, all but four of them Democrats.

The lawmakers cited failing support from traditional allies, concern for innocent Iraqis who may be killed by U.S. bombs and the potential for more terrorist attacks and instability in the Middle East as reasons for their opposition. Some also noted the financial burden on the United States of waging a war amid a growing deficit and proposed spending cuts for domestic programs.

"The opposition of the former members of Congress here is based on moral, religious and strategic reasons," former Massachusetts representative Robert Drinan said at a news conference yesterday. "It is the wrong war at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons."

As the United States moves closer to military action, antiwar activity also stepped up in San Francisco, where police arrested demonstrators who tried to shut down the Pacific Stock Exchange yesterday. Protesters blocked a major intersection in the city's financial district before police began making arrests. There were no disruptions to trading, a stock exchange spokesman said.