http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/230793-2996-009.htmlLocal protest blasts Iraq warMore than 200 at Monument Circle demonstrate for peace 2 years after invasion.By Cathy Kightlinger
cathy.kightlinger@indystar.com
March 21, 2005
Iraq native Kadhim Shaaban stood stoically Sunday in Monument Circle, holding tight to a flag bearing rainbow stripes and the word "Peace."
With that, he made clear his position on the war in Iraq.
Shaaban, 70, said he has been against the war since it started. An American citizen, he came to the United States 40 years ago as a graduate student. "What we have going on in Iraq is a war that has no end," said the Bloomington resident.
Shaaban was one of more than 200 protesters who gathered in 40-degree temperatures Sunday. The event was held to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq.
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No one was arrested at the Indianapolis rally, and there were no apparent signs of counterprotests. Police watched from squad cars parked nearby.
The protest capped the Midwest Peace Summit, held Friday through Sunday at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. It included free workshops, panel discussions and lectures and was hosted by Students for Peace in Iraq, an organization with support from IUPUI faculty and other individuals across the state.
Cate Woods-Russo, an Indianapolis activist who helped organize the rally, said she was pleased with Sunday's turnout. "It's a very cold day," she said. "We're happy. We didn't expect 10,000 people."
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