HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
Daily Californian; Badger Herald; Iowa City Press-Citizen. 10 October 2002. Students Express Anti-War Sentiments at Rally; Anti-war rally attracts student support; Anti-war rally draws crowd. BERKELEY, MADISON and IOWA CITY -- Over 100 UC Berkeley students rallied on Sproul Plaza yesterday to oppose war with Iraq. "It's a great way of interjecting democracy and a free exchange of ideas on campus in a period right now where there's not a lot of anti-war sentiment coming from the dominant media," said Snehal Shingavi, a member of the International Socialist Organization. "These demonstrations are important because it shows people on campus that there are other students opposed to the war." Police estimated 125 people attended the rally, although a statement from Berkeley Stop the War Coalition said "thousands" would be present. Some students expressed their anti-war sentiment through signs reading "UC Berkeley students say no to war," and "No War for Big Oil." Shingavi also led students in chanting "Stop the war on Iraq." Speakers at the rally included Rula Khalafawi, who worked in Iraq with the United Nations, and Laura Wells, currently a candidate of the Green Party for California state controller. "The campus plays a very important role in the anti-war movement," Khalafawi said. "They're a crucial body that should be mobilized. UC Berkeley is known to be one of the most liberal campuses in the U.S. that brings all kinds of diverse people from all around the country. This is going to encourage a lot of campuses around the country to speak out and mobilize against the war." Hatem Bazian, a UC Berkeley lecturer and director of the Al-Qalam Institute for Middle Eastern Studies, said the United States poses a greater threat to the world than Iraq because it is the only country in the world that has used nuclear arms in war. "In this university and institutions of higher learning, we have been responsible for more weapons of mass destruction than Iraq has ever dreamed about," he said. The rally was organized by the Berkeley Stop the War Coalition and sponsored by the Berkeley Free Iraq Foundation. UC Berkeley Muslim Students Association also endorsed the rally. Meanwhile, Hundreds of University of Wisconsin students and Madison citizens gathered on Library Mall Wednesday to voice their opposition to President Bush's plans for attacking Iraq. Bearing signs with slogans such as "No blood for oil" and "Drop Bush, not bombs," protestors united to voice their opposition to Bush's current attempts to initiate war with Iraq. Stop the War!, an arm of the Student/Youth Caucus of the Madison Area Peace Coalition, organized the rally to create a strong anti-war movement on campus and in the country. "We're here to vocalize our opposition to this war in Iraq and to build the largest possible anti-war movement America's seen since Vietnam, and maybe even surpass that," Stop the War! member Neil Loehlein said before the rally began. The demonstration featured speakers from six university and Madison-area organizations. "I'm outraged that the reasons Bush is giving us for why we should go to war are nothing but lies and propaganda," said Student Labor Coalition member Josh Healey. "Attacking Iraq won't stop terrorism; it would only inspire more anti-American hatred throughout the world." "The people of the world understand that this war is more about oil than it is about national security," Healey said. "It's more about midterm elections than it is about world peace." Following the rally, dozens of participants marched up State Street to the Capitol Square where they stood outside the office of U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl as a way to put pressure on him to vote against the war resolution that is currently before congress. Several war protestors have also been engaging in a sit-in at Kohl's office. Stop the War! member Loehlein said he was pleased with the turnout. "I thought this was a really positive rally; I think we filled it up pretty well," Loehlei said. "The main priority is making this movement even bigger. We need more people to get involved, and we need more numbers on Library Mall each time." To loud cheers, rally speaker Carvlin suggested that if public opposition continues to grow, the tide will turn in the president's administration. "Pretty soon it will be Bush who'll have to go along with what our plans are," he said. Meanwhile, the group Citizens Opposed to War in Iraq staged a rally in downtown Iowa City and march that started on the lawn of the Pentacrest and ended in the center of College Green Park. During the past few years, Iowa City resident Diane Kenny Handler said she has developed a more pacifist philosophy when it comes to war. Why? For the future of her two young daughters. "I feel like, since 9-11, our society has blown apart," she said. "And now we have the opportunity to create hatred or a peaceful society." Several local activists spoke in opposition to a war resolution being debated in the U.S. House and Senate. Iowa City resident Karen Kubby led the crowd in chants of "Not in my name, uh-uh, no way. Not in my name." She said the Bush administration should focus more on universal health care, affordable housing and free post-secondary education than pursuing an "imperialistic" war against Iraq. "This war on terror has not brought safety, but increased anxiety in many people's lives," she said. "What gives the U.S. the right to perform regime change abroad? That question remains." The group picked up numerous supporters as it marched to College Green Park. People hoisting signs such as 'Our enemy is in Washington, not Iraq,' and 'War is not healthy,' slowed traffic along Iowa Avenue and Washington Street. Democratic congressional candidate Julie Thomas said her sister was an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and told her of the atrocities of war. "I will do everything in my power to prevent this from being another Vietnam," she said. "War should be absolutely the last resort, not the first reaction." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProletarianNews http://www.utopia2000.org --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
