[Peace-discuss] Fwd:[ANSWER]: 500,000 March on Washington Against War With I

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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.

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