A20 Rally in DC, A Success!
Published May 2002, By John Keevert
Over 100,000 people marched and rallied Saturday, April 20th, in downtown Washington D.C. for a number of causes including opposition to the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Other themes included voicing dissent against the 'war at home and abroad,' a reference to the war in Afghanistan and in Colombia, as well as problems with racism and discrimination against people of color (especially those of Arabic origin), and also to corporate globalization.
Thanks to the organizational efforts of Jesse Lenney, Chris Powers,
and many area colleges, over 80 people from the Rochester area attended.
All three major themes were addressed in their own respective 'feeder
marches' in the morning, which joined together later in the afternoon
at the 'Mall,' the grassy park area between the Capital building,
the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
However, it was the numbers and passion of busloads of Arab Americans and their supporters that dominated the streets. Eager to make their presence felt and their voices heard in the nation's capital as never before, Arab and Muslim families marched and chanted for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel, overwhelming the messages of those with other causes in a peaceful day of downtown rallies and marches.
Throughout the day, a chant heard frequently was 'Free, Free Palestine.' An example of the spirit of unity was the sticker worn by a wide variety of participants, 'We are all Palestinians'. A moving talk at the close of the main rally was given by a black Muslim, whose words were supported by a dozen Rabbis also on the stage, all calling for an end to the oppression and for Jews and Arabs to live together in peace.
Earlier in the day, it was possible to stand on the Washington Monument grounds and hear simultaneous speeches from three rallies nearby--antiwar demonstrators, counter demonstrators and pro-Palestinian activists--in a mind-boggling surround-sound mix. Protesters came from the Anti-War Committee in Minneapolis, Middlebury College in Vermont and the D.C. chapter of the International Socialist Organization. There were teenage anti-capitalists with black bandannas over their faces marching alongside Muslim mothers wrapped in traditional headdress and pushing baby strollers.
Besides the diversity of the marches, the sheer numbers of protesters was striking. While police put march estimates at around 75,000 people, organizers claimed that over 100,000 were present when the marches converged on the Mall. Indeed, groups from all over the country bussed themselves in overnight, tying up traffic around the city. Steve Gillis, 43, a steelworker from Boston told the Washington Post that he 'saw hundreds of buses on the road. The rest stops were jammed all the way down,' with groups including 'Chicago Direct Action Network' 'Women in Black for Peace and Justice' and the MIT based 'Nerds against the War.'
In addition to the Palestinian solidarity demonstration organized by the Committee in Solidarity with the People of Palestine, there were two other 'feeder marches' that joined up later in the afternoon at the mall. One was organized by the Mobilization for Global Justice (MGJ), which stopped in front of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund headquarters. Rob Weissman from Essential Information, a group founded by Ralph Nader, pointed out that as a result of the global justice movement, the World Bank ended all 'user fees' for education (or charges brought about by structural adjustment programs), although most other damaging aspects of the structural adjustment programs remain in place despite some changes in rhetoric of the IMF.
Local activists at the MGJ march also made connections between international and local struggles, including the privitization of the city's only public hospital, which subsequently floundered financially. In the other 'feeder' march, the National Youth and Student Coalition formed by Student Peace Action Network and the International ANSWER coalition organized the 'A20 Mobilization to Stop the War at Home and Abroad.' Protesters voiced opposition to the 'Drug War' and the 'War on Terror,' which they see as more of a means to maintain U.S. economic and military power around the world.
Demonstrators criticized these military adventures as resulting in human rights abuses roundly condemned by international human rights groups. In Colombia, for instance, the army and paramilitary forces have been widely accused of drug trafficking massacres and other human rights violations. Despite the presence of the two feeder marches, however, it was concern for the worsening conditions in Palestine that dominated the day's theme.
'I want to see equality for the Palestinians,' stated Cathy Bentwood, the mother of a 14-year old son who accompanied her to the protest all the way from New Hampshire. Many others apparently wanted the same thing on a historic day that saw the largest public outpouring of support for Palestinians in U.S. history.
For information on the Sunday and Monday protest activities see dc.indymedia.org or washingtonpost.com, whose material was also used for this report.