 |
| Thousands of protesters marched in the streets of San Francisco yesterday to voice their opposition to war in Iraq.
Associated Press |
Anti-war protests shut down streets across the country
Associated Press
Galvanized by the American attack on Iraq, thousands of anti-war activists around the country set off their own barrage of street protests, chaining themselves together, blocking workers and traffic, walking out of classes and parading in mock chemical suits.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched against the war in cities across the globe while others saw it as the start of better days for Iraq. Most, however, prayed it would be quick. More than 100,000 protesters rallied in Athens.
From San Francisco to Washington, D.C., more than 1,500 people were arrested. But the anti-war groundswell also brought out thousands of counterdemonstrators. One in Mississippi carried a sign saying, "Support the U.S. or keep your mouth shut."
Yesterday was one of the heaviest days of anti-government protesting in years.
"This is no ordinary day," said Jason Mark, a San Francisco activist. "America is different today: We've just launched an unprovoked, unjust war."
One protester died after tumbling from the Golden Gate Bridge. Authorities were investigating the death as a possible suicide.
San Francisco had some of the largest anti-war activity, hobbling the morning and evening commutes. Thousands in roving bands temporarily took control of some downtown streets and closed several exits from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
Police wearing helmets and carrying nightsticks arrested more than 1,300 people by early evening. About 1,000 protesters remained on downtown streets late yesterday, vowing to shut down the city again today.
Associated Press
Smaller splinter groups broke windows, heaved debris into streets and occasionally scuffled with police. Some protesters hurled rocks at trains, briefly halting service at a station in nearby Oakland.
Loretta Linseed of San Francisco yells in pain as firefighters use a saw to cut apart protesters who linked themselves together with metal pipes to block Market Street in the city's financial district. More than 1,500 people who were carrying out a pledge of a "festival of resistance" that would paralyze the morning commute were arrested.
"We went from what I would call legal protests to absolute anarchy," Assistant Police Chief Alex Fagan Sr. said.
"We don't want to alienate people," said protester Quinn Miller, who took the day off from his job for a banking company. "I hope people realize that political murder merits action that inconveniences them."
About 1,000 anti-war protesters demonstrated outside the West Los Angeles Federal Building, briefly clashing with police, burning an American flag and forcing the closure of one of the city's busiest intersections at rush hour. At least 14 were arrested.
Protesters in Portland, Ore., smashed in three windows at a McDonald's restaurant, while another sprayed graffiti on a sign at a Shell gas station.
Several thousand marchers snarled afternoon rush-hour traffic along Chicago's main arteries, repeatedly breaking through lines of police on horseback or in riot gear.
"I supported the first Gulf War. I think this is going to send a message," demonstrator Bill Quigley said. "I think a broad-based protest against the war is the way to go."
In Washington, dozens of activists temporarily shut down inbound lanes of a Potomac River crossing, holding up the morning commute. Outside the White House, about 50 stood in chilly rain and shouted, "No blood for oil!"
Anti-war activists in Philadelphia blocked entrances to the downtown federal building, forcing police to detour motorists away from the area. Police arrested 107 protesters.
In New York, about 350 rallied at Union Square under a steady drizzle. About a dozen students lay down in black garbage bags.
"We're expressing how the Iraqis are being killed for no reason," said Rachel Klepner, 14, who left class at Beacon High School for the protest.
Demonstrators marched in Manila, Philippines; Beijing, Rome, Berlin and other German cities, Stockholm, Sweden and the occupied West Bank.
"The wrong decision has been taken," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a staunch anti-war voice, said in a televised address. "The war has begun. It must be ended as quickly as possible."
In Pakistan, people crowded around television sets, and many sided with Iraq. "We are all Muslims and should go to Iraq for jihad. We should be ready to sacrifice our life for our religion," said Nadeem Ahmed, 22, who was pushing a loaded vegetable cart.
"There's nothing good about war," said Ngai Sik-wai, a restaurateur in Hong Kong, watching with some customers as President Bush announced the attacks. Chinese television, unusually, provided immediate coverage of the first assault on Baghdad — a measure of official opposition to U.S. policy.
