100,000 march against war in Iraq
Demonstrations against President
Bushs Iraq policies took place throughout
the world on March 20, from Madrid to Manhattan. In New York City
as many as 100,000 war protesters including many from DC 37
marched from East 24th Street to Times Square to listen to
a host of singers, poets and speakers.
Among the speakers at the Saturday anti-war rally were Tony Benn,
a former member of the British Parliament, former U.S. presidential
hopeful Dennis J. Kucinich, (D-Ohio), City Council member Charles
Barron and a contingent of local labor leaders, including Local 1930
President Ray Markey and Professional Division Grievance Rep Gary
Goff.
Working people are paying for this war with our blood and the
blood of our children, said Goff. They say there arent
any atheists in foxholes. You wont find any business executives
there either.
Across the country, there were similar marches in San Francisco, Fayetteville,
N.C. and 250 other cities, said organizers. In Madrid, thousands marched
in memory of the 202 persons killed March 11 in a series of commuter
train bombings.
One of the New York demonstrators was Vietnam vet Fred DAmato,
who came all the way from Mount Pocono, Pa. His son Christopher, 24,
was sent to Iraq last April with the Army Reserves. Mr. DAmato
showed a photo of a sign he had placed on his front lawn. It read:
Support our troopsImpeach Bush.