Thousands march in mass anti-war rally in New York

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060429/ts_alt_afp/usiraqwarprotest_060429183750


NEW YORK (AFP) - Thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched in New York, demanding the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and vowing a summer of protests ahead of mid-term elections in November.

The protesters included national figures like civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and the prominent anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan.

The mass rally was organised by a broad coalition of groups representing veterans, trade unions, military families, environmentalists and civil rights activists.

"This is what democracy looks like," said chief organiser Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of the anti-war lobby United for Peace and Justice.

<snip>

While the main focus of the march was Iraq, Cagan said the rally was also aimed at protesting any plans for military intervention in Iran and at setting the domestic political agenda ahead of the congressional elections later in the year.

Iraq War Vets against the war has grown since I met them last fall...





Anti-war activists march down Broadway, to protest the war in Iraq, with thousands of supporters in New York April 29, 2006. The marchers demanded an immediate withdrawal of troops, the same day news organizations noted April as being the most deadly month for U.S. troops in Iraq, with at least 69 killed. REUTERS/Chip East

TRY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS!!!!

Link to Yahoo photos...http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/wl/031806antiwar

[TomClash]

1. I just got back

Pretty decent turnout on a beautiful day to march against the Great Dictator.

[leftchick]

2. excellent!

I wish I could have gone. What a beautiful day for a peace parade!

:hi:

[DanCa]

4. My thanks to you and too those that protested.

So many people just sit back and complain about things. It takes courage to do something about it.

[TomClash]

28. On a nice day - it's easy! nt

[NYC Liberal]

15. Excelllent! Where did you guys march...was it just around Union Sq?

[TomClash]

26. From 17th down Broadway to the Municipal Building nt

[wordpix]

50. did police herd you like cattle as in March '04? We couldn't move for

hours, we were really jammed in. It was bad. You couldn't sit down or even move an inch.

[TomClash]

55. No

The police were pretty good where I was. Your march had a lot more people.

[cliss]

27. Thanks for going,

The Tide is turning.

[TomClash]

29. Good reception throught the Village and Soho nt

[bdamomma]

30. hopefully it's going to a be a rip tide!!!!

[CONN]

49. I was there also and it was great too see so many...

folks, groups from so many places!

[movonne]

3. vote this up..

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Impeach, remove, indict, convict and incarcerate

. . . and, for the benefit of lurking Freepers, I don't mean grandmothers.



THE REVOLT AGAINST THE ILLEGITMATE AUTHORITY OF THE BUSH REGIME HAS STARTED

Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix
From the website of the University of Southern California

[wordpix]

51. amen

[suffragette]

6. K&R for the marchers for peace

:yourock:

[corkhead]

7. I want to see a march this size down Pennsylvania Ave with pitchforks and

torches!

[KyndCulture]

11. No shit!!!

I'll be there I got a nice torch!

[leftchick]

13. me too!

Like Yesterday!!!

[Jack Rabbit]

16. Coming soon to White House near you!!

[rodeodance]

38. Is this being planned?

[Jack Rabbit]

48. Not that I know of, so I will assume not

Not yet, anyway.

[KyndCulture]

8. I was with them in spirit today!!!

Excellent turn out!

[stillcool]

9. beautiful pics...

wish I was one of those hundreds of thousands.. much gratitude to all participants....

[aquart]

10. Excellent pictures.

[latebloomer]

12. Couldn't go because I had to work

but my husband and son are there representing us.

Thanks for posting this-- looks great!!!

[xchrom]

14. thanks to all who were there -- and here's my woo-hoo on for you!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[goforit]

17. Hats off to New York! 911 victims are proud of y'all!!!

[HockeyMom]

I love the City of my birth

:yourock:

[TexasLawyer]

18. Some more reporting and pictures

Thousands in NYC March Against Iraq War

Apr 29, 2:01 PM (ET)

By DESMOND BUTLER


(AP) Protesters march down Broadway in New York City during a mass rally against the war in Iraq,...
Full Image

NEW YORK (AP) - A day after the military announced that April was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq this year, thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched Saturday through lower Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of troops.

Cindy Sheehan, a vociferous critic of the war whose soldier son also died in Iraq, joined in the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

"End this war, bring the troops home," read one sign lifted by marchers on the sunny afternoon, three years after the war in Iraq began. The mother of a Marine killed two years ago in Iraq held a picture of her son, born in 1984 and killed 20 years later. One group marched under the banner "Veterans for Peace."


(AP) Protesters march down Broadway in New York City during a mass rally against the war in Iraq,...
Full Image
"We are here today because the war is illegal, immoral and unethical," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "We must bring the troops home."

<snip>

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060429/D8H9QK4O0.html

[Dancing_Dave]

19. This hardly made a blip on the internet...

During previous protest actions participants posted pictures to indymedia sites as quickly as possible along with participant reports...it really made you feel like you could follow the unfolding event and almost be there with them.

No dice this time. What went wrong? Technical problems in New York?

[create.peace]

20. The first thing I did this morning was check NYC indymedia and NOTHING!!

[rodeodance]

35. i do not know.

[NYC]

44. I no longer have a camera, so couldn't take pictures today.

Who knows? There may be a lot of that going around.

It was a very good turnout, though.

[FogerRox]

57. the event wasnt over till 6pm

[eppur_se_muova]

21. Thousands in New York march against war (AP/CNN)

Saturday, April 29, 2006; Posted: 4:18 p.m. EDT (20:18 GMT)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters marched Saturday through Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq just hours after an American soldier died in a roadside explosion in Baghdad -- the 70th U.S. fighter killed in that country this month.

"End this war, bring the troops home," read one of the many signs lifted by marchers on a sunny afternoon three years after the war in Iraq began. The mother of a Marine killed two years ago in Iraq held a picture of her son, born in 1984 and killed 20 years later.

Cindy Sheehan, a vociferous critic of the war whose 24-year-old soldier son also died in Iraq, joined in the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. One group marched under the banner "Veterans for Peace," while other marchers came from as far off as Maryland and Vermont.

The demonstrators stretched for about 10 city blocks as they headed down Broadway. A police spokesman declined to give an estimate of the size of the crowd, although organizers claimed there were 300,000 people. There were no arrests.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/29/war.protest.ap/index.html

[rodeodance]

41. "To be anti-George Bush is to be pro-American," she said.

"To be anti-George Bush is to be pro-American," she said.

Another prominent participant in the march was Daniel Ellsberg, the former military analyst who precipitated a national uproar in 1971 when he leaked the Pentagon Papers, the US military's account of activities during the Vietnam War, to The New York Times.

The release of the documents succeeded in substantially eroding public support for the war, and Ellsberg urged those in the Bush administration opposed to the current policy in Iraq to follow his example.

"My message is: Don't just resign. Leak," Ellsberg said. "I don't think George Bush is stupid. I think he's dangerous, and he has to be stopped."

[vickitulsa]

22. I'm getting sooo excited!

And I'm so very proud of all the peace marchers! And let's not forget to thank all the family members and friends who SUPPORT such turnouts, too. Such terrific demonstrations can't happen without a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes WORK being put in by many, many people.

BTW, "demonstrations" is a word I'm not hearing enough in describing our anti-war efforts. I have nothing at all against the term "protests," don't get me wrong. But "back in the day" when I was marching against the Vietnam War and for Civil Rights, I always liked it when our events were dubbed demonstrations because of what that word signifies. Yes, we protested -- loud and long and until our government could no longer ignore us. But we were also demonstrating our positions on social issues, demonstrating our fierce determination to achieve change, demonstrating that "the little guys" most certainly CAN and DO have a say in what our government does -- even beyond the power of our votes!

I'm so excited to see both the size and frequency of our protests increasing, knowing that the staying power we demonstrate says something about our unwavering intentions to end the senseless carnage being wrought by our "leaders." What other people begin to realize as we refuse to be denied or sent home quietly, discouraged, is that we just won't stand by while war profiteers in the Bush Reich lead our country's military into wrongful actions.

When I see photos like these of today's march and hear reports from DUers who were there, I am reminded of the sheer headiness I felt so often during and after our marches in the Sixties! It's something you can't really describe to anyone well enough to convey the power of such feelings. Don't you who've been there agree?

I mean, well, there's just something about being in the midst of such a gathering, expressing our concerns in clearly visible and audible ways together with thousands of others who feel as strongly as we do. Every person who shows up, the way I figure it, represents quite a few others (those support crews for starters) who feel the same way and would be there if they could. Every individual who heads out to a march does so with full awareness he or she is taking a big risk, since arrest or injury is always a possibility.

And perhaps most important of all, when you're in the middle of a really large, well-planned and coordinated demonstration that unites a number of different groups as well as many thousands of individuals in a cause we're all passionate about, you come away with the knowledge that you ARE doing something!

I love the signs, too! This time I was particularly impressed with hand-made ones carried by the women in native Arab dress:

THE WAR BUDGET LEAVES EVERY CHILD BEHIND!
WHO'S THE UNELECTED TYRANT WITH A BOMB?
HOW MANY LIVES PER GALLON?

My hearty congrats and continued encouragement to each and every person who takes these positive steps to demonstrate opposition to those in power!

[bdamomma]

23. this is such great news

to whoever went to the march this is what democracy looks like!!!!! I participated in the Sept 24th March in Washington, did it surpass that in attendance. Thanks again to whoever that participated today. The day we keep our voices quiet is the day that democracy dies. Thumbs up for all who participated.

[Rocknrule]

Just an insignificant focus group, nothing to see here folks...

:sarcasm:

[Rocknrule]

24. Just an insignificant focus group, nothing to see here folks...

:sarcasm:

[brentspeak]

25. Have the Protest "Warriors" shown up yet?

And then complain afterward that the "liberal" media failed to give them equal coverage?

[jazzjunkysue]

31. It was GREAT! We went on for blocks, as far as I could see. Endless.

It was warm and sunny and so were all the marchers. Lots of good chanting "1-2-3-4-We don't want no eff'n war! The two main themes in the signs were no more war in Iraq or Iran and "Bush Lied, People Died."

THe puppet guys were there, but I wasn't fast enough to get a pic. These two guys have cheney and bush heads and wear 3 piece suits and there are strings tied to bush and the cheney guy operates him. He had a giant copy of my pet goat in his hands. Hysterical.

There were union groups and some socialist groups but lots of regular stray families and groups. The age group was more spread than I remember. There were people who came in from pennsylvania and other states. Fabulous. A few churches, too.

Here's my sign: It was a hit.


I'm tired. I think I'll hit the sofa. Feels really good.

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. I was interviewed by truthout. One guy was from LA and the other florida and they came to cover the march. I said hello because I read them from here all the time and they asked to interview me! I asked them if their sources about the Rove target letter were good, and they assured me, they are.

Let's hope so!!!

Couchtime.....

[Robbien]

32. (News8Austin) 300,000 estimated at anti-war march in Manhattan

NEW YORK -- New York police aren't giving a size estimate on the crowd, but organizers claim 300,000 people turned out for an anti-war protest in Manhattan on Saturday.

Protesters are calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

. . .

The demonstrators stretched for about 10 city blocks. There were no arrests.

http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=160875

[rodeodance]

34. cnn just devoted 3-5 seconds to this.

[Jack Rabbit]

36. Is that all? Ah, the Little Fox!!

Image from Kill Your Television

[wordpix]

52. omg! That much time for an in-depth look at the protest? (sarcasm)

[Miss Chybil]

56. They should call themselves CNI...

Corporate News is Irrelevant.

[cantstandbush]

33. Wonderful!!!! We should be able to draw as many as the pro-undocumented

immigrants draw. It's shameful if we don't. Everywhere there is an anti-war protest should have such a turnout. When will there be one in VA-MD-DC area?

[rodeodance]

37. ONLY Average (56 votes) on yahoo! it is already dropping off

RECOMMEND THIS STORY

Recommend It:

Average (56 votes)
4.6 stars

[leftchick]

39. ABC news covered it

for almost 10 seconds. :(

[rodeodance]

42. whow--they beat cnn (5 sec at most)--but they will talk of Rush next

[rodeodance]

40. "I don't think George Bush is stupid. I think he's dangerous,"

"My message is: Don't just resign. Leak," Ellsberg said. "I don't think George Bush is stupid. I think he's dangerous, and he has to be stopped."

After reaching City Hall, the organisers planned a five-hour festival, during which they would seek signatures for a "Peace Voter Pledge," vowing not to vote for any candidate in the November elections who does not publicly call for a speedy end to military involvement in Iraq.

[bklyncowgirl]

43. I was there.

We had no idea how large the demonstration was since everyone lined up in the side streets. It was only until we got out to Broadway and couldn't see anything but marchers for blocks that we realized that this was a big, big march.

We started out with the labor contingent, looking for my husband's local but couldn't find them. It was a great day, peaceful and very friendly with the NYPD showing a great deal of professionalism.

[NYC]

45. I had the same problem re estimating size. However,

when I was at Grand Street, I looked behind, and could see people solidly packed all the way to Grace Church.

It was a good day.

[FogerRox]

58. Here -- looking back up Broadway

Heres my pics:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2598214

[Judi Lynn]

62. Thanks for posting your photos, and linking to them in LBN. Wonderful. n/t

[NYC Liberal]

66. Great pictures! The weather was beautiful that day as well.

[NYC]

68. Good pictures. Thanks.

I didn't have a camera yesterday. The only time I could see well behind me was when we had some hills and valleys that enabled me to see that far.

Thanks for taking pictures.

[faithnotgreed]

46. from the clip you posted thats a great yahoo article

kind and accurate - so in other words a wonderful surprise

[leftchick]

47. It is AFP!

That is a great news source. Unlike the AP and Reuters.

[Doctor_J]

53. One of my students attended

went all the way from Chicago. ANother focus group :eyes:

[Catamount]

54. Thank you so much , this is such good news.

I'm too emotional to say much right now, but I remember that there's still hope!
K&R

[Rainscents]

59. I love democracy!!!

Thank you, everyone who was there today!!! :kick:

[BrklynLiberal]

60. Kicked and recommended !

[Historic NY]

61. The local late night NY (FOX news) no less.....

said there was over 350 thousand there today. :applause:

[CONN]

63. BUT the NY Times buried it on page 35 of the Metro Section...

Front page "News" gas prices.
Also the photo with the story in the NY Times showed a sparse crowd. I watched the entire parade from Broadway 1/2 block up from Houston St. And joined the end when it passed. Bet it wasn't easy to get that photo.

If you're a NY Times reader and think this coverage is wrong, I urge you to write to them. Cancel your subscription (I did over Iraq covewrage long ago).

"All the news that's fit to print"

[0007]

64. Thanks for the link

[WolverineDG]

65. At least they said "thousands"

I was sure they'd say "tens of ones." :eyes:

It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!

dg

[bvar22]

67. The only thing missing is a Political Party that speaks for us,

and LEADERS in DC that stand for us.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.