[R-G] 2 million oppose war, occcupation worldwide March 20

[Fred Feldman]

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News from United for Peace and Justice | www.unitedforpeace.org

 

March 20, 2004         

 

Over two million people take to the streets around the world in global
protest marking the one-year anniversary of Iraq War: End the Occupation

 

New York, NY--On Saturday, March 20, upwards of 2 million people took to
the streets around the world to protest the one-year anniversary of the
invasion of Iraq. People in more than 60 countries throughout the world
- from Japan to South Korea to Spain to Australia to South Africa -
called for an end to the occupation, which they believe is only
increasing violence and insecurity in Iraq.

 

The March 20 global day of protest surpassed the expectations of its
organizers, both in terms of the number of cities and countries that
organized events and the number of people who took to the streets. Under
the banner, "The World Still Says No To War," at least 300 U.S. cities
and towns held anti-war events on Saturday, as did more than 275 other
cities throughout the world..

 

In the United States, notable protests included a 100,000-person march
and rally in New York City, and a similar event in San Francisco
attended by more than 50,000. In Crawford, Texas, where President George
Bush owns a ranch and often vacations, 1,000 protesters converged to
repudiate his militaristic  policies and call for a diversion of the
billions of dollars that are being spent on war to domestic programs
like schools, health clinics, and unemployment benefits. Military
families and veterans led a protest that drew 1,500 to Fayetteville,
North Carolina, outside the Fort Bragg military base.

 

In Rome, one million people took to the streets, in the largest single
protest of the day. In Spain, demonstrations took place in more than 40
cities around the country, bringing hundreds of thousands out into the
streets for the second time since the terrorist attacks that killed more
than 200 Spaniards and injured 1500. London and Tokyo held protests
drawing tens of thousands of participants.

 

"The unprovoked war against Iraq was a terrible tragedy for the Iraqi
people, thousands of whom were killed during the last year, and for the
close to 600 U.S. soldiers who also lost their lives and thousands of
others who've been injured," said Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and
Justice. "It's time to hold our government accountable for the chaos
it's created in Iraq - and for the fact that the Bush administration
lied about the Iraqi threat to convince the American public of the need
for war."

 

United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), which initiated the call for a
global day of protest on March 20, is a national coalition with more
than 750 groups under its umbrella. Since its founding in October 2002,
UFPJ has spurred hundreds of protests and rallies around the country,
including the two largest demonstrations against the Iraq war. 

 

A complete list of cities that held protest events on March 20 can be
found on the United for Peace and Justice website at
http://www.unitedforpeace.org 

 

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