Fw: [ANSWER] March 20 National Roundup

["nello margiotta" <nellomargiotta55 at virgilio.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A.N.S.W.E.R." <answer at action-mail.org>
To: <ANSWER.general at organizerweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 4:36 AM
Subject: [ANSWER] March 20 National Roundup


> MARCH 20 NATIONAL ROUNDUP
>
> On Saturday, March 20, millions of people around the world
> came into the streets as part of the Global Day of Action
> to "Bring the Troops Home Now" and "End Colonial
> Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti and
> everywhere."
>
> In the United States - one of more than 60 countries that
> held protests - demonstrations took place in over 300
> cities, including major regional actions of 100,000 in New
> York City, 50,000 in San Francisco, 20,000 in Los Angeles
> and 10,000 in Chicago. The turnout at all of these
> demonstrations far exceeded the expectations of the
> organizers.
>
> Internationally, people took to the streets in the
> millions across the Middle East, Latin America, Asia,
> Africa and Europe. A more detailed international round up
> and photographs will be available soon.
>
> New PHOTOGRAPHS of the demonstrations in New York City,
> San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and
> Spain are available at
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/032004m20report.html
>
> *New York City*
>
> Chanting "Occupation is a crime from Iraq to Palestine"
> and "Bring the troops home now," more than 100,000 people
> marched in New York City. Starting at 23rd and Madison,
> the march filled 45 blocks through midtown Manhattan,
> north on 6th Avenue to 40th Street and back to the
> original rally site. The demonstrators were so numerous
> that the front of the march almost hit the back of the
> march and had to come to a fifteen minute stop when it was
> returning to the rally site in order to allow the end of
> the march to proceed forward.
>
> The demonstration was initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R.
> Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) and United
> for Peace and Justice, the two major anti-war coalitions
> in the U.S. A large number of Arab and Muslim
> organizations co-organized the event, including Al-Awda:
> the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, the Arab Muslim
> American Federation, Free Palestine Alliance, Muslim
> American Society Freedom Foundation, and the Muslim
> Student Association of the U.S. and Canada.
>
> The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and the March 20 National
> Coalition revised their main slogan for the demonstration
> in recent weeks to highlight the U.S. occupation of Haiti
> and the U.S. coup that ousted the democratically elected
> president, Jean  Bertrand-Aristide. The lead march banner
> read "Bring the Troops Home Now, End Occupation: Iraq,
> Palestine, Haiti & everywhere." A significant Haitian
> contingent was part of the demonstration, as well as many
> other contingents. Thousands of flyers were handed out for
> the upcoming April 7 meeting in Brooklyn, New York,
> opposing the U.S. occupation of Haiti.
>
> *San Francisco*
>
> The San Francisco march and rally of 50,000 was initiated
> by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, San Francisco's main
> anti-war group. Other sponsoring organizations included
> the Free Palestine Alliance; Vanguard Foundation;
> International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 10; Bay
> Area United Against War; Muslim Student Association; and
> many other organizations.
>
> The turnout more than doubled the expectations of
> organizers. The march took two hours to begin leaving
> Dolores Park in the Mission District, and finally finish
> arriving in Civic Center Plaza, adjacent to City Hall.
> Among the speakers were actor Woody Harrelson, United Farm
> Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, Gloria La Riva of the
> National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, Pierre
> Labossiere of the Haiti Action Committee, Henry
> Graham-President of ILWU Local 10, Zeina Zaatari of the
> Free Palestine Alliance, war resister Steven Funk, Richard
> Becker of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and many others.
>
> The front of the procession was crowded with banners and
> signs in English, Spanish, and Arabic, supporting an end
> to colonial occupation in Iraq, and freedom for Palestine.
> Many veterans and veterans' groups marched. Also included
> in the march were contingents of labor, students, and one
> for same-sex marriage equality. A large contingent of dock
> workers, including the ILWU Local 10 drill team joined
> demonstration.
>
> *Los Angeles*
>
> The Los Angeles march and rally of 20,000 was initiated by
> the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, LA's main anti-war group,
> which includes the International Action Center; Free
> Palestine Alliance; ADC LA/OC; BAYAN - USA; Mindullae;
> Palestinian American Women's Association; and the National
> Lawyers Guild. Other initiating organizations in LA
> included Latino Movement USA; CAIR - LA; Al-Awda, the
> Palestine Right of Return Coalition; Korean Americans for
> Peace; US Labor Against War; Global Women's Strike;
> Latinos Against War; Muslim Student Association - West;
> and many other organizations.
>
> The demonstration in LA exceeded the expectations of the
> march organizers. Over 20,000 people marched 1.5 miles
> from Hollywood & Vine, down Highland Ave. to Sunset Blvd.,
> north on La Brea, and back around to Hollywood & Highland,
> stopping for the main rally in front of the Kodak Theatre.
> The demonstrators were so numerous that the march was over
> 14 blocks long, and the excitement on the street was
> palpable along the entire route!
>
> Many demonstrators carried coffins draped with the flags
> of Palestine and Iraq. In addition, the march featured a
> 20 x 25 foot Palestinian flag carried by Arab Americans of
> all ages. A large contingent of LA public school teachers
> also joined the demonstration.
>
> Congressperson Maxine Waters and veteran Ron Kovic spoke
> to the huge crowd of protestors, as did representatives of
> struggles against occupation and U.S. intervention in
> Iraq, Palestine, Haiti, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and
> everywhere. The rally also featured speakers from labor,
> immigrants' rights groups, religious leaders, and many
> others.
>
> *Chicago*
>
>  From the Chicago Coalition Against War & Racism:
>
> Mayor Daley's office had refused to grant a permit for
> marchers to proceed down Michigan Ave. and police were
> deployed in full riot gear in numbers perhaps as high as
> 2,500. Despite these anti-democratic actions by the
> Mayor's office and the Chicago Police, thousands from
> across the Midwest converged at the intersection of
> Michigan and Pearson and marched peacefully to Federal
> plaza.
>
> City and Police officials refused to allow the march to
> proceed down Michigan Ave. claiming "safety" would be
> compromised if traffic flow was hampered. Nonetheless,
> after routing the protest down Clark Street, officials
> temporarily closed parts of Michigan to traffic anyway,
> using the space to hold police vehicles and buses for
> possible mass arrests.
>
> This march commemorated both the invasion of Iraq and the
> mass Chicago protest against that crime on March 20, 2003.
> On that date Chicago Police conducted the mass arrest of
> over five hundred peaceful protestors and bystanders. All
> charges were either dropped or thrown out of court and a
> lawsuit has been filed against the City.
>
> For follow up information, photos and video of the march
> please visit chicago.indymedia.org
>
> * * * * *
>
> We need your help to keep this important work going and to
> build on the momentum of today's demonstration. Please
> make a tax-deductible donation online through our secure
> server at http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html
> where you can also find information for writing a check.
>
> ---------------------
>
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