100,000 at NYC Rally as Protests Gather Nationwide By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press Writer
March 20, 2004, 6:39 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Anti-war protesters turned out nationwide Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, with tens of thousands marching through Manhattan to call for the removal of American troops from the Middle East country.
"It is time to bring our children home, and declare this war was unnecessary," said the Rev. Herbert Daughtry, addressing the crowd at the New York rally. It was one of 250 anti-war protests scheduled around the country by United for Peace and Justice.
Similar sentiments were expressed at rallies from Augusta, Maine, to Atlanta, from Nebraska to New Hampshire. "The whole justification for the war in Iraq was a fabrication," said Andy Sunshine, 19, carrying a "Bush Lied" sign in Atlanta.
In San Francisco, hundreds of demonstrators chanted "End the occupation" and "Impeach Bush." A Chicago rally produced 1,000 protesters for a march through the downtown shopping district, with the Rev. Jesse Jackson addressing the crowd.
"It's time to fight back," Jackson said. "Remember in November."
In New York, police in riot gear walked calmly past metal barricades holding the demonstrators on Madison Avenue as speakers mounted a stage to address the crowd on a sunny afternoon. But unlike a similar march last year, the event was peaceful.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly stopped by the protest, but didn't speak to demonstrators or participate. "Fascists!" yelled one protester as the pair walked past.
In the early afternoon, Bloomberg estimated the crowd at about 30,000. But organizers said later that number had grown to more than 100,000 people, stretching for more than a dozen blocks through Manhattan.
Some were from Connecticut. Hundreds of demonstrators boarded a "Peace Train" in New Haven, Bridgeport, Westport and Stamford early Saturday morning en route to the New York demonstration.
Laura McMillan, a Wesleyan University student, told WVIT-TV on Saturday that she opposed Bush's decision to send troops to Iraq and is "frustrated with the way the war is going."
"I don't agree with the reasons he gives for going into war," she said.
Cmdr. Mike Neumann, a Navy fighter pilot, said he understands why the U.S. moved to topple Saddam Hussein, "so personally I'm not going to protest it. I'm in favor of it."
In Cincinnati, several hundred people gathered in a downtown park in support of U.S. troop withdrawal. Claire Mugavin, clad in a biohazard suit, pretended to look for weapons of mass destruction beneath benches and garbage cans.
"We figure they're not in Iraq," said the 24-year-old Cincinnati resident. "So we figured we'd come look for them in Fountain Square."
In Omaha, Neb., about 30 people turned out, with one holding a sign that read, "Support our troops. Bring them home."
In Manhattan, protesters filled a long section of Madison Avenue before they walked through the city.
"I thank you for bringing your bodies to defend peace," said Ray Laforest of the Haiti Support Network. "I'm here to stand with the Palestinian people, and to condemn the occupation of Iraq."
Laforest was one of the first speakers to address the crowd. Many in the audience carried signs expressing their opposition to American involvement in Iraq.
"Money for jobs, not war," read one sign; another called on the Bush administration to "Stop the 9/11 coverup." One contingent of artists dressed as a U.S. version of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse": President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
A heavy police presence was obvious at the rally, a reaction to an event last March that drew 100,000 demonstrators and produced several clashes between protesters and police officers.
This rally coincided with the first bombings in Baghdad last year. Although President Bush ordered the attacks on March 19, the time difference made it March 20 in Iraq.
Protesters raised their voices around much of the globe as well, urging an end to the coalition occupation some blame for international terrorism.
Thousands marched through central London, and demonstrators held a huge rally in Rome. Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and other European countries also saw protests, while demonstrations took place earlier in Japan, Australia and India.
Demonstrators in Cairo _ vastly outnumbered by riot police _ burned copies of the U.S. flag. Hundreds of people gathered in other Middle Eastern capitals to denounce the war.
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Associated Press Writer Donna De La Cruz contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
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