Anti-war rally held in Washington

Peace Action Wisconsin member Adam Breihan, 18, of Milwaukee, at the anti-war demonstration in Washington
Organisers hoped for a turn-out of around 100,000
Thousands of anti-war protesters are marching in Washington to demand the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

Organisers said they were expecting 100,000 to turn out for the 11-hour rally, march and concert near the White House and Washington Monument.

Opinion polls show a majority in the US believe the war in Iraq is going badly and US troops should be brought home.

A few hundred supporters of President Bush's policy in Iraq also gathered in Washington for a counter protest.

Anti-war rallies were also being held in other cities across the US as well as in London, Paris and Rome but in many cases the numbers were down on protests in previous years.

Demonstrators travelled from far and wide for what organisers said was the largest rally in Washington since the start of the war.

A woman shouts during the anti-war protest in Washington

In pictures: Protest rallies

They carried banners reading "Bring the Troops Home Now" and "Bush Lied, Thousands Died."

"We have to get involved," said Erika McCroskey, 27, who travelled from Des Moines in Iowa with her mother and sister, to take part in her first demonstration.

Another demonstrator, 60-year-old Paul Rutherford, said he was a Republican who still supported President Bush, except over the war.

"President Bush needs to admit he made a mistake in the war and bring the troops home, and let's move on," he was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Bush appeal

Among those joining the protest was Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier in Iraq, whose protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch during the summer mobilised many anti-war supporters.

"We need a people's movement to end this war," she told the crowd. "We'll be the checks and balances on this out-of-control criminal government."

Protesters march past Big Ben
London was among a number of cities worldwide holding marches

President Bush appealed to Americans in a radio address last month to be patient.

"Our efforts in Iraq and the broader Middle East will require more time, more sacrifice and continued resolve," he said.

Meanwhile, anti-war rallies were also being held in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and in major cities across Europe.

British police said around 10,000 people took to the streets in London, although organisers put the figure at nearer 100,000.

A small rally was held in Paris, and in Rome dozens of demonstrators held up banners and peace flags outside the US Embassy.

other [smaller?] protest include:  http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/09/1770028.php

unable to find a 'washington indymedia' i found this:-

Hundreds of thousands around the US protest war on September 24th
09/24/2005 PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TAKE TO THE STREETS IN OPPOSITION TO OCCUPATION
Hundreds of thousands around the US protest war on September 24th September 24th: Hundreds of thousands of people protested the US war in Iraq and the lack of funding of people's needs such as disaster preparedness today. The protests took place on the same day as Hurricane Rita hit the state of Texas, bringing rains and strong winds to homes, oil rigs, and businesses. Indymedia radio stations came together for the monthly Critical Mass Radio Network broadcast. Radio stations conducted interviews about the protests, the war, and the two recent hurricane/evacuation disasters. They switched back and forth, carrying feeds from such locations as Michigan, Portland, New York, and San Francisco.

Some 50,000 people rallied and marched in San Francisco. An Anti-Capitalist Convergence gathered at 16th and Mission and then marched along the sidewalks to Dolores Park, where it joined the main march. There was a rally at Dolores Park, which turned into a 12pm march and arrived at Jefferson Square Park for a 2pm rally. At the park, the windows of a corporate media van were smashed, and "Fuck the Corporate Media" was written on the van. (Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 )

Crowd sizes at protests around the country were larger than expected. 300,000 people surrounded the White House in Washington, DC. (Video) 50,000 people protested in Los Angeles. Twice as many people as were expected protested in Salinas, California. The anti-war movement has grown in the last two months as Cindy Sheehan has gotten national corporate media coverage of her attempt to talk with President Bush about why he went to war. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, polls have shown that for the first time since George Bush invaded Iraq in March of 2003, a majority of people in the United States now call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from that country.

Breaking news reports as heard on Enemy Combatant Radio or reported to Indybay editors
RECENT ANTI-WAR FEATURES:
Hundreds of thousands around the US protest war on September 24th 2005-09-24 23:17 GMT
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Stephen and Virginia Pearcy's Anti-War Art Attacked Again 2005-09-24 20:09 GMT
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Photos From Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas 2005-08-28 21:20 GMT
Camp Casey SF Held for 24 Hours Near War Memorial Building 2005-08-21 02:32 GMT
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Vacaville Resident Cindy Sheehan Camps in Crawford 2005-08-10 07:18 GMT
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Kevin Benderman Sentenced To 15 Months For Refusing to Fight In Iraq 2005-07-26 17:10 GMT

anti war protests (below: this direct protest email was sent to:
To: "earth2025"
and 'the' "right honourable" Tony Blair, Primeminister 'of' 'the " 'United Kingdom' " via direct gov.uk online contact portal)

anti war protests

[additional]
 http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/fosblog.html

:

follows is an opinion ([reposted] from indymedia by
myself. as above.)on the numbers in attendance at
todays anti-war protest. (
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4275542.stm
)following the recent anti-arms trade protests.. this
shows the ongoing support for the main requests of the
protest movement..

i.e. an end to the arms trade and the ceasation of
un-neccassary conflict over resources (such as fossile
fuels). etc.

above is a link to open source literature in the
pharmacueticals industry.

i would further mention open source coding and the
wasted money in the recent " 'upgrade' " in
the national health services data base and computers
systems. (some on this list may be able to provide
more information on this matter [please do])

link: (below)
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324118.html
video:  http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324113.html
pictures and comments:
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324083.html
best regards
roderick

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324118.html


Tony, how many did you count?

24.09.2005 23:08
Hey tony, how many did you count? Do you think there
were 100,000 as 'the organisers' apparently claim? Do
you think their were 10,000 as the police have said?
Perhaps you think the figure might be more like 20,000
(police usually seem to half the realistic numbers).

I believe the debate is pointless. Blatently the march
had less people than 'the big one' which saw between 1
million and 3 million people depending on whos figures
you believe. The big one failed to stop the war (and I
would argue that it actually gave the green light for
the invasion since the peace movement proved it's
unwillingness to take effictive direct action to stop
the war during that march). After that march the
numbers game became a lossers game. We can not
mobilise that level of attendence again and so every
march since has appeared crap by comparison. The
numbers game is a fools game.

Marching never used to be about an A to B stroll along
a route agreed with the cops (the tool of the enemy).
Marching used to be a show of strength to instill fear
into the minds of the opposition before the battle
commenced. That show of strenght might be so
overwhelming that the enemy would surender or flea
before the march arrived to engage in conflict.

Now we are crippled by liberal non-violence and
appathy pushed on us by the media, a media controled
by the very powers we seek to overthrow.

Of course the march had low numbers, did you imagine
otherwise?

Of course the media seek to play down our support,
ift's their job!

Of course we loss the numbers game, it's stacked
against us.

The era of marching is over! Get it? Marching is a
relic of the old order. Marching is part of world of
might makes right and either we accept that to be true
or we seek other ways to express and enforce our
politics.

This is NOT A GAME!

[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.
[reposted] from indymedia by myself. as above.

posting signed anon:
 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/09/324118.html
count dracula

F*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate MediaF*%k the Corporate Media

September 24 Anti-War March in San Francisco: F*%k the Corporate Media
by dave id Saturday, Sep. 24, 2005 at 4:22 PM

This one speaks for itself...

September 24 Anti-Wa...
s2405_nbc-truck_fcorpmedia.jpg, image/jpeg, 450x338

At the bottom of Jefferson Square Park on Turk St., NBC 11 satellite van was targeted as the first few blocks of marchers arrived at the park.
add your comments
Later, NBC11 kept the doors open and used construction paper to hide the message.
by dave id Saturday, Sep. 24, 2005 at 4:22 PM

Later, NBC11 kept th...
s2405_nbc-van_coverup.jpg, image/jpeg, 450x338

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