American protesters urge Bush to drop war plan<\/p>\n
Harry Bhaskara, The Jakarta Post, San Francisco, California<\/p>\n
As the world holds its breath over the possibility of war between
\nthe U.S. and Iraq only weeks from now, antiwar activists around
\nthe world are intensifying their campaigns. Protest rallies were
\nheld over the weekend in a number of countries, including the
\nU.S., Japan and Egypt.<\/p>\n
In San Francisco, activists held one of the largest anti-Iraq
\nwar rallies in the country, with more than 100,000 people
\nthronging the streets on Saturday (Sunday in Jakarta). They
\narrived on foot, by bus and on Bart trains (the local Bay area
\nrapid transport system) to the Civic Center meeting point on the
\nnorthern part of this coastal city. Others came from as far
\nafield as Canada and Sweden.<\/p>\n
The state government of California offered a free Bart train
\nride to thousands of protesters coming from all five localities
\nof the Bay area.<\/p>\n
"The state government tends to lean to the left," said an
\nIndonesian who has lived in California for years.<\/p>\n
Compared with Indonesia, where political divisions tend to
\nfollow long-established lines, in the U.S., political division
\nlooks simple. Those who side with the underdog are considered
\nleftist, as opposed to the rightist who side with powerful
\nbusiness groups.<\/p>\n
The big turnout on Saturday only confirmed California's long
\nhistory of activism, notably the antiwar movement in the 1960s.
\nNews station abc7 reported on Saturday evening that a similar
\nrally was held in Washington D.C., with 30,000 people taking
\npart.<\/p>\n
Most rallies of this kind are fascinating to watch. The
\natmosphere along the street passed by the marchers was not unlike
\nthat of a carnival. The rallies combine attempts to attract
\nonlookers with getting the message across. Supporters flashed
\nvictory signs from atop statues adorning the streets, atop bus
\nstops, bus roofs, and from adjoining high-rise buildings along
\nthe route.<\/p>\n
Marchers sang along with trumpets, guitars and a variety of
\npercussion instruments. Others held balloons and placards saying,
\n"Arabs and Muslims are not the enemy, corporate greed is" and
\n"Drop Bush, not bombs".<\/p>\n
Others brought with them their pets, with antiwar messages
\ndraped on their pets' bodies.<\/p>\n
Protesters also staged numerous performances on side streets,
\nincluding an acoustic wooden percussion orchestra from Zimbabwe
\nthat resembled North Sulawesi kolintang.<\/p>\n
Organizers claimed that some 50 trade unions took part in the
\nrally. Heart-wrenching was the wide cross-section of ordinary
\npeople taking part that included retired elderly couples who had
\ndifficulty walking, wheel-chair-bound people, school children,
\nteenagers and mothers with their babies.<\/p>\n
President George W. Bush said in Washington D.C. on Saturday
\nthat protests were common in a democracy.<\/p>\n
A protester, Zoe Petersen, who was confined to a wheelchair,
\nsaid the problem did not lie with the Iraqi people but the U.S.
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Asked what the impending war would mean for her, she said, "It
\nwould be a criminal act. We don't need to bomb the Iraqi people."<\/p>\n
Petersen, who came from Oakland, said she had attended peace
\nrallies at least twice, including the Oct. 26 rally.<\/p>\n
"But this is clearly the largest, with no less than 100,000
\npeople taking part," she said.<\/p>\n
In North Berkeley bart station, demonstrators waited for more
\nthan one hour in the morning before they could secure a space on
\na train to get to San Francisco. Most of the incoming trains were
\nfully loaded. Not a square inch of space was available in the
\ntrains, similar to the ritual homebound train trips (mudik) made
\nannually by Jakarta settlers during the Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
Despite the overcrowded trains and the huge number of people
\non the streets, things kept moving in an orderly fashion, while
\nthe police were barely visible. Protesters dispersed gradually
\nafter 4 p.m. Bart stations, now much less crowded than in the
\nmorning, were filled with homebound protesters. Once inside, the
\ntrain cars assumed their normal air, protesters sitting in
\nsilence with placards folded. The protest rallies in San
\nFrancisco and Washington D.C. were organized by the International
\nANSWER.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/american-protesters-urge-bush-to-drop-war-plan-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}